FanDuel Premier League Matches to Target in Matchweek 13

Matchweek 13 in the Premier League is the start of the hectic holiday schedule. FanDuel will have all six of Saturday's matches on the main slate.

Early odds have all but one match on Saturday with the same total over/under of 2.5 goals. Tottenham and Manchester United are the only two favorites on the slate.

Let's see which games to target on a slate full of highly contentious match ups.

Crystal Palace vs. Stoke City

The last time these teams met at Selhurst Park in Premier League action, Palace took home a 4-1 victory. The three matches prior to the blowout win were all 2-1 victories for Palace. The Eagles have scored two goals in three of their last five games while Stoke have scored two goals in four of their last five.

Goals should come in this match, as well. Both teams’ largest defeat was by five goals, and Palace have yet to record a clean sheet in the Premier League. Stoke, meanwhile, have recorded two shutouts.

Stoke is not in the relegation zone like Palace, but they have allowed 24 goals, only 1 goal better than the worst mark in the league. They also allow more shots and average less possession than Crystal Palace. Stoke City also played the Monday match in which they gave up the lead, and they will have a quick turnaround to get ready for the trip to Selhurst.

Despite struggling, the Stoke lineup looks fairly settled. Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting continues to be the goal-scoring threat, with Ramadan Sobhi now favored over Jese Rodriguez. Mame Biram Diouf was a headache for Brighton on Monday, drawing six fouls and recording nine defensive actions. Diouf is $1,000 cheaper than Choupo-Moting and is averaging a touch more than 18.0 FanDuel points per match.

Stoke's front-six should have opportunities against Palace, a team that has also given up 24 goals. Palace lost the lead twice in their match with Everton during Matchweek 12 and continue to look shaky on defense. Much like Stoke, despite the troubles, the lineup is fairly settled.

One change that seems likely is Christian Benteke starting after getting 15 minutes in a substitute role last week. He managed 5.0 FD points off the bench last week with 1 shot on goal. He is just $7,000 and looks like a good value play now that he and Wilfried Zaha can regain their partnership.

This one should be wide open as Stoke will want to put more space between them and relegation, while Palace need every point they can get to climb out of the drop zone.

Liverpool vs. Chelsea

The last game on Saturday is the headline match of the weekend. Both teams have scored in each of the last five Premier League matches and have 19 wins in the series.

Chelsea have won four straight with the last three being clean sheets. Liverpool have won three straight with two of the three being shutouts. The teams are separated by three points in the table.

Both teams will be working through midweek Champions League action, with Liverpool's Tuesday match against Sevilla the more vital of the fixtures. Liverpool lead Sevilla by one point in their group while Chelsea will play the worst team in their group, Qarabag. Chelsea will likely have the option of using Premier League bench players as starters.

That means Antonio Conte should roll out a similar lineup against fifth-place Liverpool as he did in a 4-0 thumping of West Brom. The back-three continues to work with Andreas Christiansen as the budget option at $5,500. Marcos Alonso continues to produce at the outside wing back position as he averages close to 20 FanDuel points a game, but he is the joint-most-expensive defender on the slate.

Eden Hazard has moved into the number-10 role the last two weeks, producing seven shots on target in that span. He scored twice against West Brom and added an assist. His recent production has pushed his price up to $10,000.

Chelsea are obviously a good offensive team, having tallied 23 goalies, but Liverpool's offensive numbers are slightly better. They have one more goal and average five more shots per game compared to the Blues.

Liverpool's first choice midfield grouping of Mohamed Salah, Philippe Coutinho, and Sadio Mane were back together last week, leading Liverpool to a 3-0 victory. Salah scored two goals while Coutinho added the other. Salah has scored an eye-popping 102 FanDuel points over his last two matches and is -- rightfully -- the most expensive player in this game.

These sides will want to prove a point to one another and should not hold back in a match between two of England's giants. Most of Liverpool's matches are fairly open, especially at Anfield. If the Reds can get out in front and force Chelsea to chase the game, we could be in for a very entertaining contest.

Douglas Smith is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Douglas Smith also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username aquemini03. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.