Oliver Glasner may not be in the running to be named Premier League manager of the year but after a slow start to the season he has turned Crystal Palace into a lean, mean fighting machine.
The South London side began the campaign with just three points, all draws, from their first eight top-flight matches but since then they have become a solid, dependable outfit who have climbed to 12th place in the table and have suffered just three defeats in their last 16 top-flight outings.
They have taken 13 points from the last 18 to register 30 points in total and are 13 points above the relegation zone with their -2 goal difference better than all the clubs in the bottom half other than Tottenham and Brentford.
Glasner operates a back three which reverts to a back five against classier opposition and it is a system which he has employed to far greater effect, and with cheaper options at his disposal, than Ruben Amorim at Manchester United, a fact which was apparent in the Eagles’ 2-0 win at Old Trafford earlier this month.
The Austrian also tends to field strong sides in cup competitions and that is bad news for Doncaster when they entertain Palace at the Keepmoat Stadium in the Monday night battle to reach the fifth round of the FA Cup.
Rovers manager Grant McCann has done a cracking job in his second stint in charge of the Yorkshire club and they are currently third in League Two and with automatic promotion the prime objective it’s not unreasonable to assume this cup tie is just a fun diversion to their bread-and-butter business.
Oliver Glasner is getting the best out of his players at Crystal Palace (Picture: Crystal Pix/MB Media/Getty Images)
The Eagles, who could go a long way on the road to Wembley, should prevail without too much fuss and have won their last three away games at United, West Ham and Leicester 2-0 following a goalless draw at Bournemouth.
When they visited Doncaster in the FA Cup six years ago they won – yes, you guessed it – 2-0 so a bet on the final result being by the same score is worth a punt at 11/2 with William Hill among many others.
Palace to win by more than one goal is 4/5 with the same firm, Betfair and Paddy Power. Jean-Philippe Mateta, who is reportedly a target for Barcelona in the summer transfer window, bagged both goals in the win at Old Trafford. He is 7/2 with the latter two bookies plus bet365 to put the visitors in front and 6/5 with Unibet and BETMGM to score at any time.
• Blockbuster trades which sent elite point guard Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he will team up with LeBron James, and impressive small forward Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat to the Golden State Warriors, where he will form a formidable attack with Steph Curry and Draymond Green, rocked the NBA before their own transfer deadline day last week.
The moves turned the Western Conference into the Wild West and while we are sticking with Oklahoma as our each-way selection to be crowned champions, their path to the finals is now a lot tougher.
The Lakers are 20/1 with Paddy Power to win the title while the Warriors are 66/1 with Sky Bet and both prices will shrink rapidly once the star players settle in at their new teams.
• Despite losing his opening match in Belfast to former world champion Rob Cross, Stephen Bunting looks a great each-way bet to win the Premier League Darts at 14/1 with William Hill, bet365, Sky Bet, BetVictor, Paddy Power and Betfair.
