July 10 2016

Selhurst Park crowd

A look at some historical trends in recent matches between the Eagles and the Baggies, with an early summary of selected markets.

By Tamhas Woods

For Crystal Palace, a truly distressing second half to 2015/16 was just ten minutes from ending in a fairytale manner.

At a packed Wembley, Jesse Lingard's winner smashed the South Londoners' dreams of FA Cup glory and European football for another year, leaving distraught players and managers alike to reflect on just how much work needs to be done at Selhurst Park this summer.

Before the Eagles can even think of European nights, in glamorous, far-flung destinations such as Malmo, Aberdeen and Krasnodar, Alan Pardew must first retain his strongest players and then simply take each moment as it comes.

Above all else, those connected with the club know that a strong start will be paramount to easing the tension and building some good early form.

This picture from 2010, the year of near-extinction for Palace is an indicator of just how far the club has come. They host West Brom on the opening day of 2016/17. Get the latest Crystal Palace odds at Matchbook.

CREDIT – User: ChristalPalace (CC BY-SA 3.0)

2016/17 will be Palace's fourth consecutive season in the top flight. Tony Pulis has been on the touchline in six of the seven fixtures involving the sides since November 2013, with those fixtures producing some interesting trends – ones in which potential gamblers may find inspiration.

Palace Win to Nil (9/4)

Since odds are set to be unattractive for a Palace win alone, combining a home win with a clean sheet drastically increases the payout. In the six fixtures involving Pulis, one team has scored a clean sheet in no less than four of them.

Relying on breaks amid defensive conservatism, Tony Pulis teams are generally predictable and workmanlike, but never to be underestimated.

Many a so-called 'stronger' team has found the Baggies utterly nightmarish to play against if they have drawn first blood on their home turf.

Palace Win + Under 2.5 Goals (58/19)

Bookmakers and pundits alike will not expect much of a goal return in this fixture due to WBA's expected defensive setup.

However, Palace's dismal league form of 2016, combined with a high-scoring defeat at the Hawthorns in February, has lengthened the odds for an Under 2.5 result either way.

The opening game of the season is synonymous with uncertainty, so there is no better time than to take advantage of this shift.

Winning Margin – Any Team by 2 Goals (10/3)

Since becoming WBA manager, Tony Pulis boasts a 50% return from two games. The Welshman won 2-0 on the first occasion, in April 2015, with Palace avenging that defeat six months later by the same scoreline.

Since 2013/14, a 2-0 scoreline has been the most common result, with Palace also defeating WBA 3-1 in February 2014 to establish a two-goal margin as the common theme.