The final London Derby of the 2022/23 season will see Fulham host Crystal Palace with nothing at stake for either side.
Fulham, who face Crystal Palace next, were in the conversation of playing European football next season, but that prospect is not over. Marco Silva’s men can only achieve a ninth-placed finish, which would reflect positively upon their journey, considering they were one of the three newly promoted sides at the start of the season.
Last weekend, Fulham relegated Southampton out of the Premier League after goals from Carlos Vinicius and the returning Aleksandar Mitrovic. It was a great occasion for the Serbian striker, who made a comeback after serving an eight-game ban.
A Boxing Day belter! 🥊@bobbyreid93, @timream5 and Mitro were on the scoresheet against Palace earlier this season. ⚽️
— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) May 19, 2023
As things stand, Fulham remain certain to finish in the top half unless Chelsea win all three of their remaining games. The Cottagers are two points behind ninth-placed Brentford and hope to overtake their London rivals before the season draws close.
Visitors Crystal Palace have achieved their mid-season objective of avoiding relegation. The board must receive due credit for their swift decision to re-install Roy Hodgson at the helm and part ways with Patrick Vieira. The Eagles never really entered the bottom three but were in danger of getting dragged into that conversation until Vieira’s departure.
After their safety from the threat of relegation, there is nothing left to play for this season, barring an 11th-placed finish. Palace remain 12th on the table behind Chelsea and can finish above the West Londoners.
Last weekend, they were successful against Bournemouth and won with a two-goal margin. A brace from Eberechi Eze proved enough to extend Hodgson’s purple patch at the helm. They hope to have the final say in the last London derby of this Premier League season. However, they are far from guaranteed to finish in the same position as the last campaign.
Team News & Tactics
Fulham
Marco Silva does not have many unprecedented injury troubles with his squad. Tim Ream, Layvin Kurzawa and Andreas Pereira are likely to miss out with fitness troubles. Dan James can feature in some capacity after resuming training.
The genius. 😍
Marco has been nominated for the @premierleague Manager of the Season award. 🏆
— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) May 18, 2023
Silva could name an unchanged eleven from the one that defeated Southampton last weekend. Bernd Leno will remain in goal and have the support of a back four comprising Kenny Tete, Tosin Adarabioyo, Issa Diop and Antonee Robinson.
Harrison Reed and the in-demand Joao Palhinha will keep their central midfield partnership intact. Tom Cairney will assume the advanced midfield role in the attack and have Harry Wilson and Willian on either side. Silva will have to decide on his starting striker for the Palace clash.
Carlos Vinicius is an option, with the Brazilian in good form of late. Meanwhile, Mitrovic made a sensational goalscoring return from his eight-game ban. But the Serbian striker might miss out, with Vinicius getting the nod.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Leno; Tete, Adarabioyo, Diop, Robinson; Reed, Palhinha; Wilson, Cairney, Willian; Vinicius
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace lost Wilfried Zaha to a thigh injury during the Bournemouth win, which should keep him out of the remaining games this season. The Ivory Coast international joins Luka Milivojevic, Nathan Ferguson and James Tomkins on the sidelines.
Magic 🪄♠️#CPFC pic.twitter.com/BSHVoGI5xt
— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) May 15, 2023
Jeffrey Schlupp, who missed out against Bournemouth, could return. But Hodgson will make his final decision. If the midfielder fails to start, Will Hughes remains best placed to replace him in the team.
Hughes will form a midfield partnership with Cheick Doucoure. Star player Eberechi Eze will assume the advanced role behind the front three. Up front, Hodgson will look to replace Zaha with Odsonne Edouard, but he will move centrally to allow Jordan Ayew to play the wide position on the left.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Johnstone; Ward, Andersen, Guehi, Mitchell; Eze, Doucoure, Hughes; Olise, Edouard, Ayew
Key Stats
- Fulham could win a record four London Derbies in a single season if they can collect three points against Crystal Palace.
- Fulham have suffered 8 defeats in their last 12 Premier League games.
- Fulham will finish in the top half of the Premier League table if Chelsea drop points in their last three games.
- Crystal Palace have lost each of their last away games in the last three seasons.
- Crystal Palace have won only two times away from home in 2023.
Player to Watch
Eberechi Eze
😆🤣#CPFC | @EbereEze10 pic.twitter.com/dDflWLUock
— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) May 19, 2023
Crystal Palace have nothing more to achieve for this season beyond clinching an 11th-placed finish. However, there’s a bit of pride at stake in this London derby. The Eagles will again look at Eze for inspiration, with the attacking midfielder hitting top form recently.
Last weekend, the two goals against Bournemouth kept Eze as Palace’s top scorer, and he will want to finish the season with more strikes. Moreover, he will also want to arrest his team’s form in the final away game of the season, a fixture they have lost in the last three seasons.
Prediction
Fulham 2-2 Crystal Palace
These are two teams in the right frame to take on each other, and we cannot predict beyond a draw in this last London derby. Fulham and Crystal Palace are coming into this clash at the back of 2-0 wins, with the game poised to end in an eventful draw.
There is nothing at stake for the Londoners beyond maintaining their respective positions on the table. In that aspect, Fulham may still have the chance to finish higher, but nothing that can incentivise and charge them up to make a dash to win this one.
