Here are our Cardiff v Crystal Palace betting tips. Four defeats in five has Cardiff staring down the barrel of a gun and their relegation now looks likely. They start the round four points off Brighton and safety with six left to play for, so it’s not impossible at this stage, but you’ve got to worry for the Welsh side.
Will they pull off a great escape and swap places with The Seagulls, sending them down with Fulham and Huddersfield? They wouldn’t be the first club to turn things around late in the day, but the relegation betting tells us traders don’t see it happening. It’ll be a shame if we do lose Cardiff, but when looking back on the season they’ll know they only have themselves to blame.
Looking at the Game in Depth
They were in the mix heading into the home straight but two defeats on the bounce served as a real body blow to their chances after beating Brighton 2-0 midway through April. The Bluebirds needed to build on that eye-catching win but were beaten 2-0 at home by Liverpool next time out and suffered a damaging 1-0 reverse at Craven Cottage last weekend. Fulham have improved since their relegation was confirmed, playing with freedom, and had Babel to thank for scoring what proved to be the winning goal, striking on 79 minutes. Neil Warnock said he was disappointed but couldn’t have asked for anymore from his team. The home win is a must here, but it has been priced at 37/20 by Unibet, which is market top offer.
Eagles Soaring
Crystal Palace are another playing without pressure and are enjoying a decent finish to the season. The Londoners climbed to 12th in the table thanks to two wins and a draw in their last four. They can finish no higher than 11th, West Ham three points better off, although Burnley in 15th are six behind, so it could all change between now and the flag.
The visitors recorded a stunning win over Arsenal at the Emirates on their penultimate start, winning by the odd goal in five. The Gunners were expected to roll over their opponents, but the game didn’t go to plan, Benteke, Zaha and McArthur scoring to earn a deserved three points, damaging Arsenal’s top-four chances in the process.
The spirit shown by Palace in that tie was continued into their home match with a talented Everton side last weekend, holding on for a 0-0 draw in front of their own fans. Palace had less of the ball than their opponents and failed to put a shot on target, but experienced gaffer Roy Hodgson seemed happy enough with the effort and defending and was pleased to see complacency hasn’t seeped into his ranks.
The Eagles are looking committed and willing to work to the finish, giving their supporters value for money. Bookies pick the away win as favourite and you’ll get 8/5 at Ladbrokes.