Crystal Palace vs Fulham FC, English Premier League 2024-25, Today Match Prediction

Crystal Palace vs Fulham FC Match Prediction & Analysis

Derby day is here! Crystal Palace faces Fulham at Selhurst Park on Saturday in Fulham's second consecutive London showdown. Last week, Fulham pulled off a thrilling comeback over Brentford, with super-sub Harry Wilson scoring twice in injury time to seal the win. 

 Elsewhere in the Western Midlands, Crystal Palace had to battle it out with a draw against a Wolverhampton side that managed to tie down the Eagles’ with well-thought-out plans. The match finished with a 2-2 scoreline with goals from Guehi and Chalobah. 

Current Standings: Fulham are currently placed 9th in the points table with 4 wins, 3 draws, and 3 losses. Crystal Palace, on the other hand, are placed 17th with 1 win, 4 draws, and 5 defeats. 

Head-to-Head Record: In the twelve matches that have been played between the teams, Crystal Palace leads Fulham 4-3. Interestingly, three of the last five matches between the teams have ended in draws. 

TEAMS PREVIEW

Crystal Palace Preview

Crystal Palace saw their recent run of good fortune slip away in a frustrating 2-2 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers last week. After securing back-to-back wins over Tottenham in the Premier League (1-0) and Aston Villa in the EFL Cup (2-1), the Eagles would have hoped for nothing less than a win against the bottom-ranked Wolves side. Currently ranked 17th in the league standings, the Eagles will be trying to string together a pair of wins to move out of the relegation race before it's too late. 

Dearth of goals a concern

To climb up the ladder in the points table, the Eagles need to stitch together some wins, and for that, they need to score more. Despite an xG of 12.47, they've netted only eight goals in ten games, with half of those from set pieces. With only Southampton faring worse, Glasner’s squad must sharpen their finishing to stay competitive.

Key Player  

Jean-Philippe Mateta has been essential to Crystal Palace this season, particularly at Selhurst Park. The French striker has scored all three of Palace's home league goals this season, building on his good form from last year, when he scored 14 goals in his last 12 home league games. Mateta remains crucial for Palace since Eberechi Eze is injured and Eddie Nketiah is struggling with form.

Team News 

In addition to Eze, who will miss the London derby due to hamstring surgery sustained during the Villa match, Palace will be missing Hughes, who received his fifth yellow card in the previous match. Meanwhile, Joel Ward and Chris Richards are in line to return.

Crystal Palace Probable XI - Henderson, Lacriox, Chalobah, Guehi, Munoz, Hughes, Kamada, Mitchell, Nketiah, Sarr, Mateta.

Fulham FC Preview

The Cottagers, notorious this season for letting leads slip in the dying minutes, finally turned the tables with a taste of their own medicine—and what a twist it was. Last week, in a heart-stopping showdown with Brentford, they flipped the script by rallying from behind, slotting in two goals during injury time to snatch an unforgettable victory. After a three-game winless streak, Marco Silva’s side bounced back with a win over Brentford. With two upcoming matches against relegation-zone teams, they have a prime chance to make it three wins on the trot before facing Tottenham.

Tactics

Defensively, the Cottagers need to be cautious about set-pieces, a key strength for Crystal Palace. On offence, Silva likely would have noted Palace’s struggles against Cuena in the No. 10 role last game, and he’ll expect Smith Rowe to exploit this, with Iwobi drifting inside to add pressure. 

Key Player

Apart from Smith Rowe and Iwobi, Andreas Pereira is the main man for Fulham as he orchestrates everything that's happening in the midfield. So far, he has created the most number of chances (27) for the Cottagers, which is right up there with the best in the league. 

Team News

Apart from Sasa Lukic, Fulham doesn't have any injury concerns and one can expect Silva to start with the same XI that played in the last match. 

Crystal Palace Probable XI - Leno; Tete, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson; Berge, Pereira, Nelson, Smith Rowe, Iwobi; Jimenez

CRYSTAL PALACE vs FULHAM FC
Winning Prediction

Crystal Palace, struggling at the bottom of the table, face a tough challenge against Fulham, a team currently in the top half of the league. Given Palace's recent form, especially without Eberechi Eze, and their poor head-to-head record against Fulham (losing all five previous encounters), it's hard to envision a Palace victory.

However, betting odds suggest a closely contested match. Crystal Palace are slight favorites to win, with odds of 2.60 compared to Fulham's 2.63. A draw is priced at 3.50. With an expected goals (xG) of 2.5, a high-scoring game is anticipated.

Fulham to Win (1-0)

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