Brentford vs Crystal Palace prediction: ENGLAND: Premier League betting tips on match 2023-08-25 14:00.
Whilst the headlines concerning Brentford during the week have largely centred around their banned striker Ivan Toney claiming he feels like he’s in “football prison”, the rest of the squad have been enjoying the fruits of their labour. A 3-0 win over Fulham last weekend confirmed an identical two-game start (W1, D1) to their previous two Premier League (PL) campaigns, but on neither occasion did they win their third game!
Continual improvement year on year under Thomas Frank yielded their very first top-half finish in the PL last time around, and with two London derbies already behind them, they now face a third straight capital affair. Getting at least another point on the board seems likely if Brentford can continue their solid recent form in these fixtures as just one of their seven home London derby matches since the start of last season ended in defeat (W2, D4).
It has been a mixed start for Roy Hodgson’s Crystal Palace, with the away side on the day winning 1-0 in both of their league outings so far (W1, L1). Palace defender Joel Ward said that despite the result, standing toe to toe with Arsenal on Monday gives them a “great foundation” to build on, and he could be right, although Hodgson may be left wanting a little more firepower up top before the transfer window proverbially slams shut after their paltry two shots on target in that contest.
Beginning the campaign with an away win must have done wonders for Palace’s confidence heading into this, not least because of their poor travelling record in league action last season (W4, D5, L10). Just one of those four away victories came in London derbies (W1, D2, L3), although they did at least manage to pick up a pair of draws across their two PL away H2Hs.
Players to watch: Bryan Mbeumo has stepped up to the plate in Toney’s absence, scoring three of their five league goals this season, albeit twice from the penalty spot. As for Palace, Eberechi Eze (2022/23 – G10) still awaits his first goal of the campaign but this could be the place to do it with him scoring the club’s only goal in PL away H2Hs.
Hot stat: Brentford boast a 100% PL unbeaten rate as pre-match home favourites since the beginning of last season (W6, D6).