Wolves v Crystal Palace Tips: Get behind a stalemate at Molineux

Crystal Palace travel to Wolves in this Friday’s showdown in the Premier League, and as always, BettingOdds.com have got three football tips for the action.

Roy Hodgson’s side travel north on the back of a 2-1 win over rock-bottom Fulham last weekend, while Wolves will be looking to return to winning ways following a 1-1 draw with Newcastle last Sunday.

The bookmaker’s have the hosts priced up as 10/11 favourites (an implied 52% chance of victory) while Palace can be found at 16/5 - an implied 23% chance offered by the oddsmakers. The draw is a best-price 12/5 with bet365.

Wolves are in tremendous shape at the minute, with only defender Jonny Castro currently sidelined through injury. Aside from that, manager Nuno Espirito Santo has the luxury of a fully-fit squad at his disposal. 

The same cannot be said for Palace, however, who are missing Gary Cahill, Nathan Ferguson, Wayne Hennessey, Conor Wickham and Jack Butland for this clash. Midfielder James McCarthy remains a doubt with a thigh complaint, while James Tomkins could also miss this one as he continues to recover from a thigh injury. 

Meanwhile, it remains to be seen whether Hodgson will reintegrate striker Jordan Ayew back into the fold after the Ghanaian has spent the last couple of matches on the substitutes bench following his return from a positive coronavirus test. 

My three tips for the clash - which kick’s off at 8pm and will be shown live on BT Sport Box Office - can be found below. Please gamble responsibly. 

• Jeffry Schlupp to have 1+ shot on target - 1.5pts @ 6/4 with Betfair
• Correct score: 1-1 - 1pt @ 6/1 with BetVictor
• Raul Jimenez to score anytime; Ruben Neves & Joel Ward to be booked - 0.25pts @ 75/1 with bet365
   

My first bet for the game is Palace wing-back/wide midfielder Jeffry Schlupp to have 1+ shot on target. The 30-year-old looks a big price here at 6/4 - boosted from 4/5 by Betfair - and I fancy him to get forward and join the attack at every possible opportunity at Molineux. 

This season, Schlupp has averaged just under one shot on goal per game and he is such an attack-minded player that I expect him to try his luck from all angles here against Wolves. 

The Palace midfielder ranks highest for dribbles this season (2.3 per game) which proves his attacking intent; hopefully he can round a mazy run off with a shot on target in the West Midlands.

I expect this to be an extremely tight encounter, with both sides cancelling each other for large parts of the 90. 

Interestingly, both Wolves and Palace have exactly the same record heading into this fixture: three wins, two defeats and a draw, meaning they are level on points (10) with the hosts sat one space below their counterparts in the table on goal difference. 

Wolves haven’t been as impressive as many expected so far. After their displays in the top-flight over the last two seasons, many expected Nuno’s side to fire out of the blocks but it has been more of a staggered jog up until this point, with two of their three wins coming against basement-dwellers Sheffield United and Fulham.

Last weekend I was disappointed by their lack of cutting edge as they failed to create much against a makeshift Newcastle side. And, up against a resilient Palace outfit who look much improved from last season, I can’t see them forging too many openings. I expect a tight encounter where both teams will find the net, though don’t see the game swaying heavily in one direction.

1-1 is a best-price 6/1 with BetVictor, which offers strong value considering it is only 5/1 with William Hill and Boylesports. 

Rounding off my trio of tips is a juicy longshot Bet Builder from bet365, priced at a whopping 75/1! 

First up I’m backing Wolves’ talisman Raul Jimenez to find the back of the net anytime. The Mexican front man has scored four league goals in six games so far, including a stunning strike against Newcastle last weekend.

He’ll head into this match-up with plenty of momentum behind him and up against a Palace back-line who have only managed one clean sheet all season I can see him finding some joy on home turf. 

Sticking with Wolves and I’m throwing Ruben Neves into the caldron for a booking. The Portugal international loves a tackle in the heart of midfield and last season he picked up a huge 9 yellow cards! With one booking so far in 2020-21, he is an unassuming character in this market and that is reflected in his odds of 5/1 to be booked on Friday evening. Neves goes into my long shot to help boost the odds with little hesitation.

Finally I’m getting behind Palace full-back Joel Ward to also be cautioned. No player has been booked more times than the Englishman this season (2) and up against the trickery of Daniel Podence - who showed flashes of brilliance against Newcastle last weekend - I feel he could find his way into the ref’s notepad for a third time.