Is Curtis Jones the Son of God? | Crystal Palace v Liverpool (19/12/2020)
Onside View’s resident football tipster, Mr Robinson is looking to Saturday’s early kick-off at an empty (again!) Selhurst Park. Coming off the back of two 1-1 draws, Palace take on Premier League leaders, Liverpool. But will The Reds midweek escapades against title rivals Spurs catch up with them?
Roy Hodgson has never beaten Liverpool as Palace manager and has lost all 5 of his encounters. April 2017 was the last time The Eagles soared to victory. That game ended 2-1, with Benteke scoring a brace against his former club at Anfield. Benteke’s suspension means history will have to wait to be repeated.
Out of the current top 6, Palace have only lost to Everton, and they’ve only failed to score once at home. That was against Newcastle, who scored twice very late on, in a game that looked certain to end honours even.
Meanwhile, Liverpool’s record on the road is, frankly, poor. They’ve failed to win 4 out 5, with their only success coming at Stamford Bridge, where they incidentally kept their only clean sheet. It’s easy to think that Liverpool will just brush Palace aside, but with the way Hodgson sets his teams up to have a go, and with pressure to extend their lead at the top, there’ll surely be chances aplenty for both? Backing BTTS is just common sense @8/11 with BetFred.
A glorious last gasp header from Bobby Firmino on Wednesday night saw Liverpool take a hugely important 3 point lead at the top over Spurs. But though the momentum will be with Liverpool, it’s not guaranteed that they will have the sharpness to match. A game like that can take its toll.
Liverpool have also started slowly in away games this season. They’ve predominantly scored their goals in the second half, whilst Palace have scored all but 2 of their home goals in the first half. Backing Double Result Palace/Liverpool @18/1 with BetFred is outlandish, but it plays to the stats.
Much has been made of Liverpool’s huge injury list this season, but it hasn’t thrown them off course and their results have been relatively unaffected. It has also paved the way for young academy star, Curtis Jones (19), to show what he’s made of – and he hasn’t looked one bit out of place.
His balance and poise on the ball for someone so young is staggering. I can only make the lazy comparison to Gerrard, but he is completely different in style and should be lauded for his expressiveness. Though, like Gerrard, he could very easily be Liverpool’s leader for the next decade or two – and my god has he come at the right time for Klopp. A Christmas saviour, if you will. The best value bet of the weekend is Liverpool WIN & BTTS @2/1 with Betfred.
AND, if you really want to maximise those free bets, read through our Matched Betting Guide, which takes you through the process step by step.
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Happy betting!
