Crystal Palace vs. Nottingham Forest Betting Tips: Back Willy Boly in the passes market

Crystal Palace, fresh off an impressive win at Old Trafford, return to Selhurst Park to face Nottingham Forest in a Saturday evening Premier League matchup, live on Sky Sports Main Event.

Dean Woodward is our man for the occasion, previewing the match and providing you with his two best bets for the 5:30pm game.

Palace currently sits ninth in the table, three points ahead of Forest, who aim to end a three-game winless streak. Last weekend, Roy Hodgson's Palace secured an historic 1-0 victory against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Joachim Andersen's first-half volley secured the win, making Hodgson the first visiting Premier League manager to avoid defeat in five successive trips to Man United. Palace seek their fourth top-flight win of the campaign and aim to move into the top seven before the international break. However, they haven’t beaten Forest in six previous Premier League meetings.

Crystal Palace face a midfield crisis with star-man Eze out for up to six weeks due to a hamstring injury, while Olise and Lerma also have similar hamstring issues. Other sidelined players include Henderson, Franca, Tomkins, and Ahamada. Without Eze, Lerma, and Ahamada, Riedewald may start in midfield, or Schlupp could shift from the left wing to join Doucoure and Hughes. Rak-Sakyi, an academy graduate, might get his first Premier League start in the front three with Mateta and Ayew. Edouard could also return from a hamstring injury.

Nottingham Forest have struggled to build on their impressive 1-0 win at Chelsea early last month. They've secured only two points from their last three games, with 1-1 draws against Burnley and Brentford sandwiching a 2-0 loss to Man City. Forest aim to regain momentum and climb back into the top half of the Premier League table. Their away record has room for improvement, having secured only five points from their last forty-two available on the road.

For Nottingham Forest, Danilo and Hennessey are out with hamstring and knee injuries, while Niakhate serves a one-match ban. Tavares may replace him if his groin issue clears. Dominguez, nursing a knock from Brentford, faces a late fitness check, as do Yates and Aina, both recovering from muscle problems. Worrall and Gibbs-White aim to return to the starting lineup, with Worrall potentially replacing Boly or Murillo in defence and Gibbs-White vying with Elanga for an attacking role.

A selection that went absolutely nowhere near in the last game of last season when Forest drew 1-1 with Palace. Boly only registered fourteen passes in the centre of a back three which may make me look a little crazy taking these passes here.

This new season has seen a difference in style from Forest, actively looking to play out from the back way more than usual. Playing a solid Brentford side last week saw Boly rack up fifty-five passes playing in a back four, despite Forest having ten men for more than a third of the game. They recycled possession well and despite some tough games lately, they should expect to see even more of the ball as they travel to Selhurst Park.

Given the opposition being Crystal Palace, I have to get stuck in to the higher lines for this Saturday evening game.

Sixteen of the nineteen centre backs to face Crystal Palace this season have not only cleared fifty passes, but have cleared a whopping sixty passes! The only three centre backs who didn’t clear sixty passes were in the first game of the season when Palace beat Sheffield United 1-0, a team who aren’t known for attempting to play out from the back. Given that the next eight games has seen the Palace opposition clear sixty passes (even Plymouth Argyle racking up sixty-seven and seventy-two passes), these Boly pass lines could look an absolute steal come Saturday night.