Bournemouth v Crystal Palace Prediction: Cherries can down distracted Eagles

Bournemouth have put together an impressive 14-match unbeaten run in the Premier League and they can boost their hopes of recording a club-best finish by beating Crystal Palace at the Vitality Stadium on Sunday.

The Cherries have drawn eight times in that sequence, but they have a golden opportunity to add three points to their tally as their opponents have to play this match in between the two legs of their UEFA Conference League semi-final against Shakhtar Donetsk.

Palace won 3-1 in the first leg and could understandably be distracted from the task at hand in Bournemouth with their first-ever appearance in a European final within reach.

Bournemouth v Crystal Palace Tips Summary

Best Bet - Bournemouth to win @ 13/20
Alternative Bet - Evanilson to score or assist @ 21/20
Bet Builder - Both teams to score, Eli Junior Kroupi 2+ shots on target & Jorgen Strand Larsen 1+ shots on target @ 17/2

Bournemouth v Crystal Palace Prediction

Best Bet: Bournemouth to win @ 13/20

Bournemouth have been handed an ideal opportunity to strengthen their claim for a top-six finish when they host Palace at the Vitality Stadium on Sunday.

The Cherries are targeting their best-ever finish in the Premier League, which is currently ninth, and a 14-match unbeaten run in the league had propelled them to seventh in the standings before the current round of fixtures.

Andoni Iraola's side would have been even further up the table if they had been able to convert some of their league-high 16 draws into wins and they will be determined to end a run of five successive home draws in a positive fashion.

The schedule favours the home side as Crystal Palace are playing this match between the two legs of their UEFA Conference League semi-final and that competition is likely to be their priority for the remainder of the campaign.

The Eagles are mathematically not safe from relegation yet as they are only nine points ahead of Tottenham, who have four games left, but they realistically can afford to turn their eyes to Europe.

Thursday's 3-1 first-leg win over Shakhtar has taken them to the brink of their first European final but their away form in the league has not been as strong, with three defeats in their last four domestic road games.

With Bournemouth unbeaten since a 3-2 home loss to Arsenal on January 3rd - which they avenged at the Emirates three weeks ago - the Cherries look a solid bet to pick up all three points.

Alternative Bet: Evanilson to score or assist @ 21/20

Bournemouth have fielded a talented bunch of attackers this season with Rayan, Eli Junior Kroupi and Marcus Tavernier all operating behind frontman Evanilson and the Brazilian is capable of providing a goal contribution in what could be a relatively high-scoring game.

Evanilson has not scored in six appearances since netting the equaliser in a 1-1 home draw with Sunderland, but he should be capable of adding to his six-goal tally soon and he has supplied two assists for his team-mates since he last scored himself.

With Palace having conceded in four of their last five games, Evanilson is worth backing to score or assist.

Bournemouth v Crystal Palace Bet Builder Tip

• Both teams to score

• Eli Junior Kroupi 2+ shots on target

• Jorgen Strand Larsen 1+ shots on target

  Pays 17/2

Start a three-leg bet builder on Sunday's opening top-flight fixture by taking both teams to score.

Bournemouth have scored twice in four consecutive matches and they have conceded at least once in all of those, while Palace have both scored and conceded in four of their last five games.

The first match between the teams was a real humdinger which ended 3-3 at Selhurst Park in October as both teams scored dramatic late goals.

Eli Junior Kroupi netted the Cherries' first two goals in that match and he has taken his seasonal tally to 11 since then. The French forward is worth backing to have two or more shots on target in the match.

For Palace, Jorgen Strand Larsen should get a chance to start having come off the bench for the final 25 minutes of the Eagles' game against Shakhtar in Poland.

The Norwegian forward scored his team's third goal in that contest and can get at least one effort on target on Sunday.

Learn more about how Bet Builders work in our Bet Builder guide.

Key Match Stats

• Bournemouth are unbeaten in their last seven home Premier League games

• Both teams have scored in Bournemouth's last four matches

• Six of Crystal Palace's last seven games have produced over 2.5 goals

• No Premier League team have played more games with four or more goals than Bournemouth this season

• The Cherries have scored exactly two goals in four successive matches

• Eli Junior Kroupi has scored three goals in his last four appearances

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.