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West Ham vs Crystal Palace Preview: Odds, Tips and Prediction

Date: Saturday, 20 September 2025 Kickoff Time: 14:00 BST Venue: London Stadium SportsBoom previews the Premier League London derby between West Ham and Crystal Palace at the London Stadium on Saturday, 20 September 2025. The Hammers are reeling after a nightmare start, while Palace have avoided defeat but look short on cutting edge. Premier League betting fans will see this as a contest dripping with desperation, tension and potential value.

Joshua Gaillard
J.G.

Last updated: 2025-09-17

Chad Nagel

5 minutes read

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Graham Potter manger of West Ham United

Graham Potter manger of West Ham United//Getty Images

Pre-Game Outlook: West Ham in Trouble, Palace Yet to Convince

West Ham and Crystal Palace clash in a London derby that already smells of desperation for the Hammers, specifically. Potter’s boys have been torn apart by Sunderland, Chelsea and Spurs, leaking 11 goals and looking brittle all over the pitch. Palace are unbeaten but hardly ruthless, huffing and puffing without finding enough end product. Still, in their defence, they have lost their best attackers recently. This fixture rarely goes quietly, and with bragging rights on the line, expect a scrappy affair full of mistakes, nervy finishing, and just enough chaos to keep both sets of fans on edge.

Pre-Game Odds and Win Probability: Palace Slightly Favoured

  1. West Ham: 9/5 (2.85) – 35.1%

  2. Draw: 51/20 (3.45) – 28.9%

  3. Crystal Palace: 6/4 (2.50) – 40.0%

    Odds courtesy of Stake, subject to change

Head-to-Head Record

Last Five Meetings (Premier League):

  1. 18 Jan 2025: West Ham 0-2 Crystal Palace

  2. 24 Aug 2024: Crystal Palace 0-2 West Ham

  3. 21 Apr 2024: Crystal Palace 5-2 West Ham

  4. 03 Dec 2023: West Ham 1-1 Crystal Palace

  5. 29 Apr 2023: Crystal Palace 4-3 West Ham

    Played 28 | West Ham Wins: 10 | Crystal Palace Wins: 10 | Draws: 8

West Ham: Current Form – LWLL

West Ham’s start has been ugly. A 3-0 loss to Sunderland, a 5-1 collapse to Chelsea and a 3-0 defeat at Spurs leaves the Hammers staring nervously into the future of possibly fighting for their lives. The only respite was a 3-0 win over Forest, but that felt like a proper outlier rather than a turning point.

Off the pitch, tensions are rising. Fan groups are openly critical of the board, and the mood in Stratford has soured since the Conference League high of 2023. A messy summer window only added jet fuel, with stopgap moves like re-signing Fabianski and loaning Julio hardly quelling doubts. Either way, Potter’s options are thin, and the pressure is already fully mounting when your team has conceded the most goals to date (11).

Key Players to Watch

  • Jarrod Bowen: The only man you would trust to hit the target in this team. Might be shoved up front out of desperation.
  • Crysencio Summerville: Game-changer off the bench against Forest. If Potter starts him, Palace’s full-backs better be awake.
  • Igor Julio: New signing, new pressure. Welcome to a defence leaking like a colander.

West Ham Team News

Füllkrug and Guilherme are ruled out, Earthy is doubtful, and Thomas Soucek is out after a straight red versus Spurs. Wilson may start as a striker, while Bowen and Summerville are flexible options in attack.

Crystal Palace: Current Form – DDWD

Palace remain unbeaten with the mood among supporters growing more and more flat than upbeat for a new season. The draw with Sunderland was two points dropped, pointing directly to slow build-up from the back and the absence of key men so early on in the league. Glasner’s reluctance to turn to his younger wingers creates another talking point that does not fall in his favour because the game against Sunderland was crying out for some pace. The positives? Pino looked sharp on debut, Uche made an impact, and the defence remains one of the stingiest in the league.

The story so far is simple: Palace look organised, solid, and hard to beat, but without a clinical edge, they risk drawing too many games. Supporters know the team has the tools to push on, but injuries are stalling momentum.

Key Players to Watch

  • Marc Guehi: Captain, rock at the back, and the main reason Palace have three clean sheets.
  • Yeremy Pino: The exciting new winger likely filling Sarr’s boots. Debut derby in East London will test him.
  • Will Hughes: Tackles, fouls, bookings, the walking accumulator boost.

Crystal Palace Team News

Sarr, Wharton, Doucouré, Riad, Nketiah and Kporha are all sidelined. Pino and Uche are pushing for debuts, while Hughes and Lerma anchor midfield.

Predicted Line-Up

  1. West Ham (4-2-3-1):
    Hermansen; Wan-Bissaka, Kilman, Julio, Scarles; Ward-Prowse, Rodríguez; Summerville, Paquetá, Bowen; Wilson.

  2. Crystal Palace (4-3-3):
    Henderson; Muñoz, Guéhi, Lacroix, Mitchell; Hughes, Lerma, Ahamada; Pino, Mateta, Uche.

Suggested Bets

Checking the betting rules for markets like win combinations, both teams to score, and goalscorer bets ensures clarity on how wagers are settled across different sportsbooks.

  1. Both Teams to Score: Palace’s defence is tidy, but West Ham’s desperation should open cracks.4/5 (1.80) – 55.6% with 1xBet

  2. Over 2.5 Goals: These two cannot play quietly against each other. Four of the last five H2Hs had three or more goals. 1/1 (2.00) – 50% with Betandyou

  3. West Ham to Score First: They will be desperate to avoid another boo-fest at home. 11/10 (2.10) – 47.6% with Stake

Value Bets

New customers can use a sign up bonus to add extra value when backing options like goalscorers, first-half totals, or assist markets.

  1. Yeremy Pino Anytime Goalscorer: Debut derby, plenty to prove. He knows how to find the net. 3/1 (4.00) – 25%  with Betandyou

  2. Draw + Over 2.5 Goals: Chaos derby written all over it. 4/1 (5.00) – 20% BetWinner

  3. Jarrod Bowen Anytime Goalscorer: West Ham’s talisman, likely to be pushed central with Füllkrug out. 2/1 (3.00) – 33.3% Betway 

Prediction: Draw and Both Teams to Score

Palace are organised but toothless. West Ham are chaotic but desperate. Put that together and you have goals, mistakes and probably shared points. Bowen and Summerville will run at Palace’s backline, while Pino adds energy on his debut. Guehi will do his best to hold the line, but expect both nets to bulge in a messy London derby stalemate.

Joshua Gaillard
Joshua Gaillard Sports Writer

Joshua Gaillard is a freelance editor and dedicated Arsenal fan, known for creating fact-based, insightful content. His work, featured on top South African websites, blends analysis with engaging storytelling for clear, impactful articles.

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