With Crystal Palace perilously close to the drop zone mid-season, Steve Parish turned to a trusty head in Roy Hodgson to steer the ship to safety. He has certainly done that and more, with Crystal Palace a win away from finishing 11th. The veteran has got Palace playing entertaining football, unlocking the creative abilities of Ebe Eze & Michael Olise.
Despite looking certainties for relegation most of the season, Steve Cooper has guided his Nottingham Forest with 30 signings to survival with a game to spare. The Reds are in for an interesting summer to build on an impressive return to the Premier League.
If this is the game that you’re most interested in this afternoon, and are looking to put together a bet builder for, then I’ve got you covered. My Stats Pack includes everything from corners through to cards in order to help you land a winner. Feel free to use my Stats Pack Guide alongside the Stats Pack itself if you want to make the most out of the numbers.
If you’re interested in claiming £40 in free bet builders, then check out this Paddy Power signup offer:
Crystal palace vs Nottingham Forest Predicted Lineups
No Farewell for Zaha
Due to an injury sustained at home to Bournemouth, the South London faithful may have seen club legend Wilf Zaha play his last game for the Eagles, with the 30-year-old out of contract in the summer. In his absence, Michael Olise and Ebe Eze have stepped up, with Eze’s fine form earning him his first senior England call up.
Building on momentum for forest
With Nottingham Forest’s strong end of season form, don’t expect much rotation for Coopers side. An injury to Danilo could see Cheikhou Kouyate return to the side, but expect more of the same for The Reds.
Crystal palace vs Nottingham Forest Team Stats
Steady at both ends
Crystal Palace are steady at both ends, scoring 39 goals (1.05 PG) and conceding 48 (1.3PG). They are performing at a similar level to their underlying metrics, with the Eagles averaging a 1.02 xg for & 1.29 xg against. They are also steady at both ends in terms of shots & SOTs, with Hodgson’s side hitting 11.03 shots & 3.51 SOT per game and conceding 12.03 shots & 4.11 SOT per game. The corners & cards for and against follow the same trend. Palace average 4.89 corners & 2.3 cards per game and concede 4.65 corners & 2.27 cards.
Leaky on the road
Nottingham forest have the 3rd worst defensive record with 67 goals conceded (1.81 PG.) They also have the worst defensive record when away from home (2.38PG). Infront of goal, Cooper’s side have made improvements, averaging a goal a game. Forest seem to be reluctant to shoot, averaging 9.59 shots & 2.89 SOT per game. They are also leaky in the shots conceded department, letting the opponents shoot at goal 14.41 times per game. Whilst The Reds are strong attacking set pieces, they do not get the oppurtunity often due to their 3.35 corners per game, conceding a staggering 6.32 corners per game.
Crystal palace vs Nottingham Forest Shots and Shots on Target Stats
Elegant Eze
Eze is a player who has attracted a lot of attention due to his form this season, so much so that Gareth Southgate has called him up for the latest round of internationals. The elegant attacking midfielder is averaging 2.33 shots & 0.85 SOT per game. Odsonne Edouard may have struggled for goals since joining the Croydon outfit, but the Frenchman certainly doesn’t lack perseverance, averaging 1.97 shots per 90. Frenchman Michael Olise is also one to keep an eye on in the shot market, having 1.66 shots per 90.
Sharp-shooting front three
Top scorer Taiwo Awoniyi has been a revelation upfront for Nottingham Forest, shooting 2.33 times p90. He is supplied by the silky Morgan Gibbs-White who averages 1.75 shots per game himself. Rounding off an exciting front 3 is academy graduate Brennan Johnson, who shoots 1.61 times per 90.
Crystal palace vs Nottingham Forest Goal and Assists Stats
Eze the man for goals
A rejuvenated Eze has been the man to turn to for goals. The 24 year old has 10 goals in the Premier League and is carrying the goalscoring burden. The next top scorer who is avaliable for selection is Edouard who has scored 5 goals, 1 more than the hard working Jordan Ayew.
Clinical Awoniyi
The aforementioned Taiwo Awoniyi has shone in his first season since his move from the Bundesliga, notching 9 goals in 16 starts. Brennan Johnson has carried on his fine form from last season, boasting 8 goals. £40M man Morgan Gibbs-White has chipped in with 5 goals and 7 assists.
Crystal palace vs Nottingham Forest Passing Stats
Composure from Andersen and Guehi
Danish international Joachim Anderson & English international Marc Guehi have built a formidable partnership at the heart of the Crystal Palace defence. They trust each other with the ball, shown by them hitting 56.2 & 58.2 passes per 90 despite Palace only averaging 45.8% possession per game.
Direct football
With Nottingham Forest only averaging 37.7% possession, it is no surprise to see the low average pass totals in their side, with Serge Aurier leading the way with 35.4 passes p90. Centre back Felipe averages 34.5 passes per 90, more than 20 passes less than Guehi & Anderson.
Crystal Palace Cards and Fouls Stats
Ill-disciplined Doucoure
Player of the season Cheick Doucoure has been a revelation since joining from Lens in the summer, but the Malian has the tendency to mistime his tackles, averaging 1.23 fouls per game, leading to 11 cards already this season. Guehi & Anderson are in for an interesting battle against Awoniyi. With Forest favouring long-balls into the target man who is fouled 1.23 times per game, the pair will have to be careful to not add to their 8 cards a piece this season.
Ryan Yates gets as good as he gives in the Forest midfield. 2.68 fouls drawn P/90 is a quite staggering average that sits head and shoulders above the numbers that his teammates are able to produce. Elsewhere, Renan Lodi’s marauding runs may prove too much to deal with for Palace’s elder statesman Joel Ward, whilst bruising centre forward Taiwo Awoniyi will looking to put plenty of pressure on the Palace defence.
Crystal Palace vs Nottingham Forest key Matchups
Cheick Doucoure vs Ryan Yates
Joel Ward vs Renan Lodi
Joachim Andersen vs Taiwo Awoniyi
Nottingham Forest Cards and Fouls Stats
Combative Yates
Academy graduate Ryan Yates wears his heart on his sleeve and plays with real passion. This is shown in his 2.42 fouls p90, as well as being fouled 2.68 times p90. He will be tasked with stopping Eze who is fouled 1.91 times p90. Renan Lodi who averages 1.16 fouls per game, has seen himself awarded 7 yellows thus far so will be keen to stay disciplined against a tricky Palace attack.
Jordan Ayew has put up some seriously impressive numbers. The Ghanaian international will prove a key asset to Palace throughout the 90 minutes, and his 3.01 fouls drawn P/90 should tell in some way, shape, or form. The dynamic duo of Eze and Olise should add further complications for the Forest side to navigate.
Crystal Palace vs Nottingham Forest key Matchups
Felipe vs Jordan Ayew
Ryan Yates vs Eberechi Eze
Renan Lodi vs Michael Olise
Crystal Palace vs Nottingham Forest Bet Builder Tips and Picks of the Pack
I’ve done a bit of digging into this one, and using my very own stats pack, I’ve made some bet builder selections that you can follow along with below.
Take a look at my Free Bets page whilst you’re at if you’re looking to sign up with a new bookie.
Crystal Palace vs Nottingham Forest
28th May
kick off 16:30 Eberechi Eze 1+ shots on target
Averaging 0.85 shots on target P/90, and has improved his output immensely under Hodgson.
Has registered a shot on target in 7 of his last 10, and scored 6 goals in his last 8.
Both teams to score – yesPalace average 1.05 goals per game, conceding 1.30. Forest score a
goal a game and conceded 1.81. With nothing to play for, both teams can play with freedom leading to an end to end game.
Crystal Palace Over 4.5 cornersPalace average 4.89 corners per game. Nottingham Forest concede 6.32 per game. Away from home, Forest tend to struggle, leading to more home corners.
Crystal Palace 4+ shots on targetThe home side average 3.51 shots on target per game, with their visitors conceding 4.62
