Palace underestimated?
Fulham are back in the big time and face London rivals Crystal Palace in their first game. It's true newly promoted sides have the benefit of coming into the season with all the momentum and a new found enthusiasm. And the bookies feel the same. But Palace, who finished the last campaign in strong fashion, shouldn't be underestimated in any way. Are the odds perhaps a little lopsided?
Fulham
Fulham achieved promotion, albeit the hard way via the play-offs, seeing off Derby and then Aston Villa in the final to cap off a fine season. It's fair to say, the newcomers are on a crest of a wave and will represent dangerous opposition for any opposition early on, especially having retained key players Cairney and Sessegnon.
Kamara has also hung around, though it remains to be seen if he'll start many games given the arrival of the fiery, yet hazardous, Mitrovic who looks like he could be a regular starter going by his hefty price tag. Former West London old boy Schürrle has also been added to the ranks to help lead Fulham in their attempt to survive their first season back.
Crystal Palace
Palace were a laughing stock at the start of last season. Despite possessing a good team on paper, they lost their opening seven games without scoring, finally winning at the eighth time of asking against reigning Champions Chelsea no less. There's no denying Palace have Premier League quality with the likes of Benteke, Townsend and of course, Zaha. Serbian international Milivojevic also demonstrated his worth with 10 crucial goals en route to survival.
At the time of writing, Palace have managed to keep hold of their best players, though speculation still surrounds the future of Zaha. The defence remains in tact, while the goalkeeping position is accounted for. Add new signings Meyer from Schalke and Kouyate from West Ham into the mix and I think Palace can pick up where they left off last term, when they won four of their final five fixtures.
Match Tips
An entertaining match clearly lies in wait at Craven Cottage. But it's highly unlikely Palace will be as slow out the traps as they were last season, despite all of Fulham's exuberance. In my opinion, the bookies have majorly misread this one and so there has to be real value in backing Palace on the double chance at odds of 4/6 (1.66) with bet365.
