Coventry City v Crystal Palace prediction

The Pundit's prediction: Coventry City to win (43% chance).

Preview

## Where the table stands

Only two points split these sides near the foot of the Premier League. Coventry City are 17th on nine points from ten games, while Crystal Palace are 19th on seven from nine. That means the defeated side could finish the weekend in a worse position than it started it.

Coventry City at home and away

Coventry City's best football this season has come at home. They beat Newcastle United 4-1 as underdogs despite having only a third of the ball. They then beat Sunderland 3-1 in a game that looked close to even beforehand, though Sunderland finished with ten men. The home defeat in between, 1-0 to Fulham, was tight: Fulham had three shots on target to Coventry City's two.

The worry is at the other end. Coventry City have conceded in each of their last five Premier League matches, nine goals in all. They lost 3-1 at both Everton and Tottenham Hotspur as clear underdogs. At Everton they matched their hosts with 15 shots but managed only four on target to Everton's seven.

Crystal Palace: chances made, points missed

Crystal Palace have lost each of their last three Premier League matches, but the performances have been better than that suggests. Against Newcastle United they had 17 shots to 10 and still lost 2-0 after missing both their big chances. Against Liverpool, who were clear favourites, they created five big chances, as many as Liverpool, yet lost 3-1 despite scoring a penalty and hitting the woodwork.

Discipline has hurt them too. They went down to ten men in the 2-0 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur, where they managed just two shots. They also had a player sent off in a 1-1 home draw with TSG Hoffenheim in the Europa League, a game they were expected to win. Their most recent win was 1-0 at Fulham in the Carabao Cup, while they have conceded 21 goals in nine league games.

What we expect

Coventry City look the slightly likelier winners because of their home results and Crystal Palace's habit of losing games, and players, at the wrong moments. A clean sheet for either side looks unlikely, though. Coventry City and their opponents both scored in four of Coventry City's last five Premier League matches. With Coventry City conceding 19 in ten league games, goals at both ends look more likely than a tight, low-scoring afternoon.

Jack Rudoni, with three league goals, is Coventry City's main scoring threat, while Brandon Thomas-Asante has two assists. For Crystal Palace, Daichi Kamada has three assists and Tyrick Mitchell two goals. The biggest risk to the home side is Crystal Palace finally taking the chances they have been creating. Our full call is in the Pundit Pick section below.