Crystal Palace hosts Southampton in round 1 of the English Premier League. The match will be played on Saturday, September 12th at Selhurst Park (London)
Crystal Palace frankly failed last season's ending. After leaving the quarantine, Hodgson's team dealt with Bournemouth, but it managed to earn only one point in subsequent matches. Yes, the high position in the standings allowed the Eagles not to worry about relegation, but they clearly held the worst preparation for the resumption of the season. It seems that Crystal Palace will also be unstable at the start of the new Premier League season. Hodgson still cannot count on Tomkins, Cahill and Van Anholt, so the Eagles will have a hole in the defense. More precisely, the coach of Londoners will be forced to field the reservists or someone from the youth. For example, he may field Mitchell on the left flank of the defense. Naturally, the defense of Crystal Palace will not be as reliable as in 2019.
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Southampton’s defenders surely didn’t impress Hasenhuttl, and he could leave England because of them. As a result, we see the activity of the Southerners in the transfer window - they have already acquired two defenders from Valladolid and Tottenham. But these acquisitions do not guarantee that the Saints will concede less than 60 goals in the new season. The problem lies in Southampton's game style under the Austrian coach. The high line of defense is the reason for frequent failures of the Saints, who miss the sharp attacks of rivals. And as you know, newcomers to the team are not fast players. I don't think the Saints will be much better in defense in the coming season. Southampton will have problems already in the first round because it will have to defend against swift-footed Ayew and Zaha.
I strongly doubt that Southampton will keep a clean sheet in London. Due to the speed and dribbling of Zaha, the Eagles will create many attempts in the Saints’ box. In general, the leaders of Crystal Palace showed a great game in friendly matches, so you should count on the hosts' goals in the upcoming meeting. But the absence of Cahill and Van Anholt will not be without consequences for Londoners. We all remember how Southampton played at the finish of last season, consistently breaching the defense of its rivals. Even at Old Trafford, the Saints played very bravely and deservedly took away one point. Obviously, Hasenhuttl’s team will be ready to squeeze the players of Crystal Palace in their penalty area, and the hosts will not withstand the onslaught of Southampton. Therefore, I prefer to bet on Over 2.0 goals scored in the upcoming match. This outcome was recorded in 17 of the last 20 head-to-head meetings between the Eagles and the Saints.
Prediction for the match: Over 2.0 goals scored
