Brentford vs. Crystal Palace Predictions: Gallagher to be involved at both ends on Saturday

The Premier League's post-winter break return had no shortage of entertainment. We saw goals, drama and further shake ups in the top four and relegation races, without a single bore 0-0 draw in sight.

Both of these teams featured among Wednesday's four fixtures to differing results. Brentford failed to land much of a glove on Man City as they fell to a 2-0 defeat at the Etihad, while Wilfried Zaha recovered from his earlier missed penalty blushes with a sensational strike to earn a point away at Norwich.

Only two points separate the pair in 13th and 14th. But the Bees' current form has them looking over their shoulders, having played as many as four additional games over other relegation-threatened teams and sitting just nine points above the foot of the table.

As alluded to earlier, Brentford's dramatic fall off is alarming. Thomas Frank's side are on a spate of six defeats following January's FA Cup Third Round victory over Port Vale.

Palace might still be seeking a first Premier League win in this calendar year, but their results and performances have provided some solidarity among supporters.

Last time out, Vieira's side were unfortunate not to claim all three points against Norwich. The Canaries side scored from their only shot on target and had Wilfried Zaha to both thank and loathe for ensuring the spoils were shared.

Brentford have lost 13 of their 24 top flight matches since last season's promotion - a tally that only fellow promoted sides Watford and Norwich have outmatched.

Add to that the fact that the West Londoners have conceded the fifth-highest number of goals (40) in the division, and Palace to win at 2/1 with both Bet365 or Betfred seems an attractive price.

Whichever end of the pitch Crystal Palace are concerned with, Conor Gallagher is typically at the forefront of proceedings, good or bad. The Chelsea loanee has demonstrated his all-action approach, making him quite the fan's favourite despite only being a temporary signing.

The way he plays the game is a joy to watch: high-energy, dogged, with tons of ability. His tenacity and die-hard attitude make him both Palace's top scorer and the player with the joint-highest number of yellow cards among their squad.

As well as finding the net more than anybody else for his side this term, Gallagher has had 38 shots in total - second to only Christian Benteke by one. The 2+ shots mark proposed here is a figure he's managed in 50% of his 20 league appearances under Vieira.

And the 22-year-old's stats for the defensive side of things only solidify his contribution. Gallagher tops Palace's charts for having conceded the highest number of fouls (42) and isn't far away from having double over the next closest in line in Jordan Ayew (25). 

This particular bet landed in Palace's midweek game vs Norwich, meaning the boisterous midfielder has also been entered into the referee's book in consecutive matches now.

It's also worth noting that on four of the six different occasions where Gallagher has received a booking this season, he's also managed to fire away at least two shots in those games.