Palace struggled to break down Fredrikstad in the 1st leg. However, with the tie on the line, we expect the Eagles to manage to win easier this time.
Fredrikstad vs Crystal Palace Predictions
All odds are courtesy of bet365, correct at the time of publishing and subject to change.
Eagles to fly into Conference League
Fredrikstad must commit more bodies forward than they did in the first leg at Selhurst Park. If they don’t try to impose themselves, they will be knocked out this week in a relatively tame fashion.
With the Norwegians likely to take fewer risks in front of their own fans, there are sure to be more gaps for the Eagles to exploit in the second leg. That’s why it is worth backing Palace to win in Norway at a probability of over 71%.
Given the narrow one-goal lead, Glasner cannot afford to field a weakened starting XI on Thursday. He will be eager to get a second goal early to effectively decide the match, giving him the freedom to make second-half changes.
- Fredrikstad vs Crystal Palace Prediction 1: Crystal Palace to Win @ 2/5 with bet365
Palace don’t need a goalfest
Palace’s first-leg win over Fredrikstad was a controlled display from the Eagles. Although they didn’t play at their very best due to some changes to their starting lineup, they still dominated possession and territory.
They enjoyed 75% possession, which is very rare for Palace. They even managed to have a pass accuracy of 84%. This is a very high level, especially for a team better suited to counter-attacking football.
The reality is that Palace don’t need a heavy victory to reach the Conference League. A similar performance with just one or two goals would be enough to close out the tie and move on to the league phase.
Considering how the first leg panned out, it is surprising that the betting markets indicate a probability of 48.19% for the game to feature two or fewer goals. The odds should be comfortably below even-money, making it the value bet of this trio of Fredrikstad vs Crystal Palace predictions.
- Fredrikstad vs Crystal Palace Prediction 2: Under 2.5 Goals @ 43/40 with bet365
Guehi and co. to keep Fredrikstad at a distance
In the first leg, Fredrikstad managed just five attempts at goal, and none of them were on target. They were well-defended by top players like Marc Guehi and Maxence Lacroix, both of whom deserve to play continental football at this stage of their careers.
In the Norwegian Eliteserien, Fredrikstad have managed just 23 goals in 18 games. This is the lowest goals return from any team inside the top ten of the division.
That’s why backing Both Teams to Score (No) may be smart, with the expectation of a clean sheet for Palace. If they can prevent the hosts from scoring a single goal, they will secure a place in the Conference League, regardless of whether the Eagles score or not.
- Fredrikstad vs Crystal Palace Prediction 3: Both Teams to Score (No) @ 8/11 with bet365