Crystal Palace vs Bournemouth Prediction: Cards over shots at Selhurst

Two clubs that have both made terrific starts to the 2025/26 Premier League season, Crystal Palace and AFC Bournemouth, meet at the former’s Selhurst Park on Saturday (15:00 BST). The Cherries finished ninth in 2024/25, three places and three points higher than the Eagles, but there was no separating the sides in their two head-to-heads, with both matches ending goalless.

Read below for my Crystal Palace vs Bournemouth predictions, accompanied by all the latest team news and match odds, to see whether I am sticking with last season’s script.

Team News

Chadi Riad, Cheick Doucoure (both knee) and Caleb Kporha (back) remain in the Palace treatment room.

Eagles head coach Oliver Glanser could name the same starting XI that lined up in a dramatic 2-1 defeat at Everton on October 5, although the likes of Jefferson Lerma, Eddie Nketiah and Justin Devenny are pushing for inclusions from the off.

Football Odds

Julio Soler captained his country, Argentina, into the final of the Fifa Under-20 World Cup earlier this week, so the left-back remains unavailable for Bournemouth.

Enes Unal (knee) and Adam Smith (hamstring) are out injured for the Cherries, whose boss Andoni Iraola may hand a start to Justin Kluivert, who came off the bench and scored his side's second goal in their 3-1 victory over Fulham before the October international break.

Midfielders Lewis Cook and Ryan Christie are also pushing for starts, although Iraola may keep faith with Alex Scott and Tyler Adams in the engine room.

Crystal Palace vs Bournemouth Odds

Palace, who have drawn seven of their last 13 league games, are 12/5 to make it eight stalemates in 14, and 5/4, or a 44.4% chance, to claim back-to-back league wins at home. Bournemouth, meanwhile, are 23/10 (30.3%) to triumph on their travels for the second time this season.

Both teams to score has failed to land in the last nine meetings between the Eagles and Cherries across all competitions, and you can back BTTS-No again on Saturday at 11/10.

Total Shots Over/Under +26.5 - Under 26.5 @ 5/6

Five of Bournemouth’s seven Premier League games this season have produced 26 or fewer shots, with three going under 20.5.

Palace, meanwhile, have seen four of their seven finish with under 26.5 shots, and like the Cherries, three of theirs saw 20 or fewer recorded.

Today's Football Fixtures

At the Vitality Stadium on Boxing Day last year, Bournemouth shot 18 times to Palace’s 10, but at Selhurst in April, just 20 shots were taken - five by the hosts, 15 by the visitors.

Palace boast, statistically, the second-meanest defence in the Premier League this season, conceding just five goals in seven games, while only seven sides have been breached fewer times than Bournemouth (eight).

The two teams cancelled each other out twice last season, and while I’m loath to back another goalless draw between the pair, I do think the smart play is to back under 26.5 shots at 5/6.

Booking Points Over/Under +42.5 - Over 42.5 @ 5/6

There were no goals scored in last season’s two meetings, but there were 13 yellow cards and one red card awarded across the fixtures.

At the Vitality, the Cherries and Eagles exchanged four yellows (40 booking points), before a hotly-contested battle at Selhurst earlier this year.

Bournemouth were issued four yellows (40 booking points, while Palace received five yellows and one red (65 booking points - Chris Richards was awarded 35 for two bookable offences).

This season, only Brighton (22), Everton (18) and, crucially, Palace (17) have been cautioned more times in the Premier League than Bournemouth (16), who possess the joint-ninth most fouled player, Scott, who is averaging a foul won every 38 minutes.

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