Fulham will host Crystal Palace at Craven Cottage on Saturday afternoon, looking to build on their recent run of form.
Fulham are coming into the game vs Crystal Palace on the back of four wins from the last five matches in all competitions. They will be full of confidence and momentum heading into this match.
The Cottagers are currently eighth in the Premier League table, and they will certainly fancy their chances of securing European qualification this season. Marco Silva’s men will be confident of beating most teams at home, and it will be interesting to see if they can grind out a positive result against the Eagles.
Meanwhile, Crystal Palace are in impressive form as well. Although the Eagles were beaten by Everton in their last outing, they have picked up four wins from the last six matches in all competitions. This could be a cracking contest between two evenly matched teams. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Fulham
Fulham will be without Kenny Tete due to a knee injury, Harry Wilson due to an ankle injury, and Reiss Nelson misses out with a thigh injury. The home side are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Bernd Leno in goal.
Timothy Castagne and Antonee Robinson will start as the full-backs. They will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch. Issa Diop will start alongside Joachim Andersen in the central defensive partnership.
As for the midfield unit, Sasa Lukic will start alongside Andreas Pereira in the double pivot, and they will add defensive cover and creativity to the side. Emile Smith Rowe will start as the attacking midfielder, and he will look to create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates.
Adama Traore and Alex Iwobi will start on the flanks, and they will add pace, flair and goals to the side. Finally, Rodrigo Muniz will lead the line for Fulham vs Crystal Palace at Craven Cottage on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Leno; Castagne, Diop, Andersen, Robinson; Lukic, Pereira; Traore, Smith Rowe, Iwobi; Muniz
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace will be without Chadi Riad and Checik Doucoure due to knee injuries. Meanwhile, Joel Ward has a calf strain. Crystal Palace will shape up in a 3-4-1-2 formation vs Fulham, with Dean Henderson in goal.
Chris Richards will start alongside Maxence Lacroix and Marc Guehi in the back three. Daniel Munoz and Tyrick Mitchell will start as the wing-backs. They will look to help out at both ends of the pitch.
As for the midfield unit, Will Hughes and Adam Wharton will add creativity and defensive cover to the side. Eberechi Eze and Ismaila Sarr will start in the attacking midfield roles, and they will look to link up with Jean-Philippe Mateta in the final third.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Henderson; Richards, Guehi, Lacroix; Munoz, Hughes, Wharton, Mitchell; Sarr, Eze; Mateta
Key Stats
- Fulham have scored at least two goals in seven of their last eight matches in the Premier League.
- Fulham are undefeated in their last six matches against Crystal Palace in all competitions.
- Four of the last six matches between these two teams have ended in a draw.
- 11 goals have been scored in the last six matches between these two teams.
- Crystal Palace are undefeated in four of the last six matches in all competitions.
Player to Watch
Alex Iwobi
The 28-year-old attacker has been in impressive form this season, scoring seven goals and picking up three assists in the league. He will look to continue his impressive run of form and influence the game in the final third.
He will look to create opportunities for his teammates with his pace, flair and technical ability. He will look to add to his goal tally for the season as well. Fulham will depend on Iwobi to add some unpredictability and sharpness to their attack, and he is our key player to watch out for.
Prediction
Fulham 1-1 Crystal Palace
Both teams are in similar form right now and this is likely to be a close contest. Neither team will want to end up on the losing side and they will look to cancel each other out. It will be difficult to separate the two teams here and a draw seems like the most probable result. The two teams are likely to share the spoils here and a draw is on the cards this week.
