Crystal Palace and Fulham will be eager to build on their recent unbeaten runs when they clash at Selhurst Park on Saturday.
Gameweek 11 of the 2024/25 Premier League season will get underway this weekend. The latest round of fixtures will kick off with four simultaneous games, including Crystal Palace vs Fulham at Selhurst Park.
Crystal Palace began the 2024/25 season with a whimper, struggling to continue from where they left in the 2023/24 campaign. However, Oliver Glasner has gradually built confidence within his group, with four points in their last two outings lifting the Eagles outside the relegation zone, two clear of 18th-placed Ipswich Town.
As for Fulham, Marco Silva continues to wield his influence, with the South London club making a solid start to the 2024/25 Premier League season. The Cottagers have lost only three of their first ten games, with the 2-1 win over Brentford earlier this week taking them into the top half of the table.
The corresponding fixture last season ended in a goalless draw, with neither team creating sustained pressure. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Crystal Palace
Oliver Glasner has greeted a mixed bag of updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Crystal Palace manager might be bereft of the services of ten first-team players vs Fulham on Saturday.
Eddie Nketiah might be the latest absentee, with the summer signing recovering from a hamstring injury. Meanwhile, Joel Ward has resumed training, although he might not be fit enough to feature in the matchday squad.
Chadi Riad (knee), Chris Richards (hamstring), Jefferson Lerma (thigh), Adam Wharton (groin), Matheus Franca (groin), and Eberechi Eze (thigh) are on the sidelines. Meanwhile, Will Hughes is unavailable due to suspension after picking up his fifth booking of the 2024/25 season this past weekend.
Dean Henderson will take his spot between the sticks, with Crystal Palace lining up in a 3-4-2-1 formation in front of him vs Fulham on Saturday. The central defensive unit should feature Marc Guehi, Trevoh Chalobah, and Maxence Lacroix. Daniel Munoz and Tyrick Mitchell should be the two wing-backs.
The wide duo will provide the width in the final third and support the centre-backs during the defensive phases. As for the midfield unit, Daichi Kamada should reprise a reserved role alongside Cheick Doucoure. Jean-Philippe Mateta will lead the line for Crystal Palace against Fulham, with Jeffrey Schlupp and Ismaila Sarr completing the numbers in the final third.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Henderson; Chalobah, Guehi, Lacroix; Munoz, Doucoure, Kamada, Mitchell; Sarr, Schlupp; Mateta
Fulham
Unlike his counterpart in the Crystal Palace dugout, Marco Silva does not have many pressing injury concerns to worry about ahead of the trip to Selhurst Park. The Fulham manager will be without one first-team player, with Sasa Lukic recovering from a shoulder injury.
Bernd Leno is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Fulham lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Crystal Palace on Saturday. The backline should feature Kenny Tete, Antonee Robinson, Calvin Bassey and former Crystal Palace defender Joachim Andersen.
As for the midfield unit, Sander Berge and Andreas Pereira should pair up in the double pivot, with the away side feeling Lukic’s absence. Emile Smith Rowe will reprise the no. 10 role, with Alex Iwobi and Reiss Nelson being the two wide attackers. Finally, Raul Jimenez will spearhead the Fulham attack against Crystal Palace this weekend.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Leno; Tete, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson; Berge, Pereira; Iwobi, Smith Rowe, Nelson; Jimenez
Key Stats
- Crystal Palace are winless in their last five Premier League games vs Fulham (D4 L1), with the three most recent meetings ending in a draw. The Cottagers have kept a clean sheet in three successive away league games against Crystal Palace. Only at Bolton Wanderers (between 2000 and 2004) and Middlesbrough (2015-2022) did they keep four consecutive clean sheets on the road in their league history.
- Crystal Palace beat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 in their last Premier League London derby. They have not won consecutive games against fellow London clubs since April 2017 (vs Chelsea and Arsenal). On the other hand, Fulham are unbeaten in their six most recent Premier League London derbies (W3 D3), coming from behind to beat Brentford this week. It is their longest run without a defeat since a run of seven in 2006/07.
- Fulham’s five Premier League away games this season have seen just 11 goals scored (F5 A6). Only Arsenal’s (10) and Manchester United’s (9) matches on the road have produced fewer.
- Since losing 1-0 at Manchester United on the opening day, Fulham have scored in their last nine Premier League games. They last scored in ten consecutive league matches between August and October 2022.
- Eddie Nketiah has had more shots without scoring than any other player in the Premier League this season (17).
Player to Watch
Jean-Philippe Mateta
With Eberechi Eze unavailable and Eddie Nketiah unlikely to be fit enough to start, the onus will be on Jean-Philippe Mateta to deliver the goods for Crystal Palace. The Frenchman has been exceptional for the Eagles since Oliver Glasner took charge.
Mateta has scored 14 goals in his last 12 Premier League home games for Crystal Palace. Overall, he has found the back of the net 19 times at Selhurst Park in the competition, with only Wilfried Zaha (32) netting more at Selhurst Park for the Eagles. Amid concerns he might leave next year, the 27-year-old remains focused on the job at hand and will look to continue his fine run under Glasner.
Prediction
Crystal Palace 2-2 Fulham
Fulham might have kept a clean sheet vs Crystal Palace in three successive matches. However, the Eagles have looked confident in recent outings, with Jean-Philippe Mateta gradually finding his groove. So, a stat-defying match might be on the cards at Selhurst Park this weekend.
Fulham’s late comeback win over Brentford masked some deficiencies, but they should exploit the home side’s defensive shortcomings. With Crystal Palace looking more convincing in the final third, a “score draw” is on the cards. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-2 stalemate between the two London clubs on Saturday.
