Fulham v Crystal Palace: Preview, Predictions & Betting Odds

This weekend, Fulham host Crystal Palace at Craven Cottage in a London derby which could all but secure the visitors’ top flight safety.

Date: 27/04/24

Kick-off time: 15:00

Venue: Craven Cottage

Crystal Palace occupy 14th position in the table with five games to go. Their victories over Liverpool at Anfield and West Ham at home gave them a huge boost, as it allowed them to create some much needed separation between themselves and the bottom three following a difficult period of form under new manager Oliver Glasner. They are 11 points clear of Luton in 18th, and it would take an extraordinary collapse for them to go down. This means there is less pressure on them for three points, though they would absolutely take it in order to fully guarantee their survival.

In contrast, their hosts are comfortably 12th, in no danger of slipping down the table, but are still well within reach of a top half finish. With 42 points, they trail 10th place Brighton by two, though they have played two games more. They will be outsiders for a top 10 place, but victory this weekend would keep them well within the mix.

There have been 20 total goals in Fulham’s last six league games, meaning there could be an opportunity of a high scoring game. Jean-Philipe Mateta, Odsonne Edouard and Eberechi Eze have scored 24 goals between them, and they will all be hopeful of adding to their tallies against an inconsistent Fulham defence. The Cottagers will look to inflict some damage of their own, with Rodrigo Muniz and Bobby De Cordova-Reid scoring a combined 14 goals.

Since 2018, these two teams have met in the Premier League seven times. Crystal Palace have been the dominant side, winning three, losing just once and drawing the remaining three. However, Palace’s victories came at the beginning of this run, with them currently amidst a four-game winless streak in the head-to-head. The reverse fixture ended 0-0, marking the second time this scoreline has played out in four games. This suggests there could be a lack of goals when the two teams meet again once more.

Fulham Team News

Fulham have a fully fit squad heading into this game. 

Crystal Palace Team News

Sam Johnstone and Cheick Doucoure are out for the season, but there is an expectation that Jefferson Lerma and Marc Guehi will return sometime in early May.

Fulham Form Guide

In their last five games, Fulham have won one, drawn one and lost three. Fulham have stumbled of late, struggling to pick up consecutive wins. The run started with a trip to bottom side Sheffield United, in which they came back to draw 3-3 in a thrilling game. The hosts went ahead in the second half with a goal from Ben Brereton Diaz, but Joao Palhinha levelled it four minutes later. Oli McBurnie helped them retake the lead which was added to by Brereton Diaz’ second to make it 3-1 with 20 minutes remaining. Bobby De Cordova-Reid pulled another back, before the comeback was complete when Rodrigo Muniz scored a stunning goal to equalise.

They could not carry over any momentum into the next game, as they were defeated 3-1 at Nottingham Forest. Fulham had dominated possession, but each team had a similar number of shots. It was Forest who made the most of their opportunities, though, with Callum Hudson-Odoi, Wood and Morgan Gibbs-White getting on the scoresheet in a 3-1 win. Tosin Adarabioyo pulled one back shortly after the restart to threaten a comeback, but that was as good as it got for the visitors. They then lost 1-0 at home to Newcastle. The goal came late, with Bruno Guimaraes netting with nine minutes to go.

West Ham were on the end of Fulham’s only victory, with the game ending 2-0 in the visitors’ favour. There were plenty of opportunities for both sides, but a goal in either half from Andreas Pereira secured the three points for the Cottagers. Last time out the hosted Liverpool at Craven Cottage. They lost 3-1, with goals from Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ryan Gravenberch and Diogo Jota condemning them to defeat despite Timothy Castagne’s equaliser.

Crystal Palace Form Guide

In their last five games, Crystal Palace have won two, lost two and drawn one. It has been an inconsistent stretch for Palace, though this included two huge victories. The run started with a 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest, in which they took an early first half lead through Jean-Philippe Mateta. It was an even game throughout, and this was reflected in the final scoreline, after Chris Wood equalised with half an hour to go.

They followed this with a 1-0 defeat at Bournemouth. The hosts enjoyed more shots and edged possession, with Palace unable to create any meaningful chances. Justin Kluivert’s 79th minute goal proved to be the difference between the two teams. In their most difficult game, they hosted Man City in a 4-2 loss. They surprisingly took the lead with a Mateta goal, but Kevin De Bruyne showed his excellence to level the score. Rico Lewis netted shortly after the restart before Erling Haaland added a third. De Bruyne bagged his second and City’s fourth prior to a consolation from Odsonne Edouard.

A trip to Anfield resulted in a stunning 1-0 win against Liverpool. The decisive goal came after just 14 minutes when Eberechi Eze completed an impressive team move. Both teams rued many chances to get on the scoresheet, but neither were able to alter the scoreline. This meant that Palace put a huge dent in Liverpool’s title hopes, as well as significantly boosting their chances of survival. Last time out they hosted West Ham and they crushed them 5-2. They were 4-0 up after 30 minutes, and managed to see the game out comfortably in the second half. Before they travel to Fulham at the weekend, they face Newcastle at home in midweek.

This should be an even match with not much to split the pair. There will not be many goals, but we expect both to score with the points to be shared - Fulham 1-1 Crystal Palace

Fulham v Crystal Palace will be available to watch on the Peacock Network (An NBC live-streaming Platform)