Crystal Palace v Aston Villa tips: Premier League preview and best bets
Liam Kelly previews Crystal Palace's hosting of Aston Villa, expecting Steven Gerrard's side to endure plenty of pressure.
Football betting tips: Premier League
2pts Crystal Palace 14+ total shots at 10/11 (Sky Bet)
Two Premier League greats face-off at Selhurst Park on Saturday, with Steven Gerrard's Aston Villa pitted against Patrick Vieira's Crystal Palace.
Newly-appointed Gerrard celebrated a win in his first game in charge of Villa last weekend, edging out Brighton 2-0 thanks to two late goals.
Kick-off time: 15:00 GMT, Saturday
Crystal Palace 23/20 | Draw 12/5 | Aston Villa 23/10
That victory came in a way that now looks familiar for a Gerrard-led team, reminiscent of how his Rangers team operated, limiting Brighton to just six shots totalling 0.53 expected goals (xG).
Vieira, on the other hand, has done an incredible job at Palace in turning around a defence-first unit into a threatening attacking side.
The Eagles were again impressive in that area during their visit to Burnley last Saturday, creating chances equating to 2.13 xG in the 3-3 draw at Turf Moor.
It was yet another draw that perhaps could have been a win, but Palace have now gone seven league games without defeat heading into this match-up.
Palace's vastly improved attacking output is the source of the selection, picking CRYSTAL PALACE to record 14+ TOTAL SHOTS at a shade of odds-on (10/11) against Villa.
Vieira's side have taken 14+ shots in four of their six matches at home this season, only failing to reach that mark against Brentford, who were in excellent defensive form at the time, and rivals Brighton - a very solid unit that limit shots against.
Granted, Brighton only managed to record six shots at against Gerrard's side Villa Park last week, but they have been struggling in attack recently, and although Villa's defensive display was exactly what Gerrard wants, it's unlikely that a massive impact has been made on that unit in such a short space of time.
After all, Villa averaged 1.66 expected goals against (xGA) per game before his arrival.
Crystal Palace represent a stiff task for almost any defence now, enjoying the fruits of a front-foot approach. They can cover the shots line in this match-up.
Crystal Palace v Aston Villa best bets and score prediction
- 2pts Crystal Palace 14+ total shots at 10/11 (Sky Bet)
Score prediction: Crystal Palace 2-1 Aston Villa (Sky Bet odds: 7/1)
Odds correct at 2130 BST (25/11/21)
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