Bournemouth – Crystal Palace

The visitors will take at least one point back to London

After relegation from the Championship to the Premier League at the end of the 2021/2022 season, Bournemouth have lingered in the elite division. Previously, the Cherries could be considered a "lift team", but now they are stable mid-table mid-table players in the championship. If last season the team took twelfth place, now it is steadily going in the top half of the standings. The total value of the Bournemouth squad is estimated at about 400 million euros. Before the next round of the Premier League, Bournemouth reached their peak in the current season, climbing to an incredible fifth position. Crystal Palace, meanwhile, are not exactly pleasing their fans. "Glassmen" already spend twelfth season in the elite league of the country and can be considered one of the most stable participants here. Hard to believe, but the previous eleven draws of the Premier League London club finished in positions from tenth to fifteenth inclusive. Bookmakers have identified the home team as the favorites for the upcoming meeting, offering odds of 1.97 on their victory. Until the beginning of October, nothing foreshadowed for Bournemouth great achievements in the current season. The team was losing more than winning. However, things changed dramatically in the second half of that month. In just a fortnight Bournemouth managed to beat Manchester City and Arsenal in the championship, and with Aston Villa to make peace. Now the Cherries have finally established themselves as a contender for European Cup positions. For the upcoming match, they are approaching in a winless streak of five matches, during which only two points were lost. The apogee of the excellent form of the team was recorded in the last round, when the Cherries at Old Trafford defeated Manchester United - 3:0. Crystal Palace have been playing at their usual level in recent weeks. However, failures in part of the starting rounds still pull the team in the neighbourhood of the relegation zone. Since the end of October, the Glassmen have taken points from Aston Villa, Manchester City, Newcastle, Tottenham and Brighton, losing only to Fulham and Arsenal. Hardly any of those clubs are weaker than Bournemouth even on their current form. It looks as if Bournemouth will meet roughly equal teams. In addition, the home side may not be able to concentrate on the upcoming opponent after the triumph in Manchester.