Alan Pardew is set to make his league bow as manager of Crystal Palace on Saturday but Ladbrokes are offering new customers a chance to get on odds of 5/1 for Tottenham Hotspur to spoil the party.
Tottenham Hotspur have enjoyed some improved form under Mauricio Pochettino in recent weeks. A win over Chelsea on New Year's Day seems to have really boosted confidence at the club and although they only drew in the FA Cup with Burnley in midweek, they have now gone seven games without suffering defeat.
The form of young players such as Ryan Mason and Harry Kane has been a real positive for Pochettino in his first season in charge at White Hart Lane. Kane in fact has been particularly impressive, scoring 17 goals in all competitions leading to calls for him to be added to Roy Hodgson's next England squad.
Crystal Palace may take some time to get used to life under Alan Pardew. The former Newcastle United boss got off to a winning start last week as his team smashed Dover Athletic by a 4-0 scoreline but that given the huge gap in status between the two clubs, that won't have been much of a test of his managerial abilities.
Pardew is likely to be looking at improvements to his squad throughout January and it will take some time for him figure out what his best eleven is, so it might not be worth backing the Eagles for the first few weeks of his tenure at Selhurst Park - at least not in this clash.
Spurs were frustrated by Palace in the reverse fixture at White Hart Lane in late November thanks to former manager Neil Warnock's defensive tactics, but Pardew is likely to favour a more attacking style as he goes for three points in his first game in charge to please the supporters.
The aims of these two teams this season are quite contrasting. Spurs will be hoping to be in the mix for a top four spot come May, whereas Crystal Palace will be happy to be remaining a Premier League side. With that in mind, it's to be expected that the Lilywhites take all three points here - particularly given their terrific form in recent games.
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