Not only did Udinese lose the first two rounds, but the little zebras could not even score at least one goal. This is clearly not a plus for the hosts of the upcoming match, which bookmakers are making clear outsiders. Despite the fact that the team is playing at home, the odds for their victory is 5.64. Not every time you see this.
Despite the virtual absence of significant reinforcements, Crystal Palace started this season well. The Eagles beat Southampton in the first round (1:0), whereas in the second they sorted things out on the road with Manchester United (3:1), having gained the scalp of the first top team in the new championship. Failures befell the team in the third round of the League Cup, where Crystal Palace lost on penalties to Bournemouth and in the last round of the championship, in which the Glaziers lost at home to Everton (1:2). With six points Crystal Palace is in sixth place, just three points behind the leaders. Last season, Crystal Palace played quite well away for the time being. Also, Roy Hodgson’s wards periodically selected points for the representatives of the top six. True, the favorite client of the Eagles is Manchester City. The statistics of guest meetings prior to this tour are not in favor of Crystal Palace. Hodgson’s team lost four consecutive away matches in the Premier League before defeating Manchester United without scoring a single goal. Five players are injured at Crystal Palace: Connor Wickham, Nathan Ferguson, Patrick van Anholt, Gary Cahill and Scott Dunn. Misha Batshuaya, who is on loan from the Blues, will not be able to play against Chelsea.