Fulham vs Crystal Palace
Fulham’s pursuit of Europe remains alive, as they’ve won three of their last four Premier League matches. Marco Silva’s men are fresh from an impressive 2-1 victory against Nottingham Forest to improve to eighth in the English top-flight table with 39 points.
The Cottagers will return to Craven Cottage to host Crystal Palace this Saturday. If they win and Newcastle United lose to Nottingham Forest, Fulham can move up to seventh place, good for a Europa Conference League berth (assuming they stay there).
Crystal Palace are 13th in the table with 30 points. After their poor start to the 2024-25 campaign, as they almost dropped to the relegation zone at one point, the Eagles are nearer to the top half of the standings. However, they’re fresh from a 2-1 loss to Everton, so Oliver Glasner’s side are aiming to return to winning ways.
Learn more about these two teams in today’s SBOTOP preview.
Talking Points
Fulham show off their aerial prowess
The Cottagers scored a massive upset against the Tricky Trees last time out, and head coach Marco Silva has unlocked a new weapon they could use in the coming games. The two goals they’ve scored were from the air, as Emile Smith Rowe and Calvin Bassey headed the ball into the back of the net.
Silva praised Adama Traore for his superb form in the past few weeks. The former Wolves winger was responsible for the first goal, as his cross found Smith Rowe for the score. Adama wouldn’t have done this consistently before and was criticised for it.
Calvin Bassey’s goal in the second half was from a flick-on by Raul Jimenez off a corner kick. The centre-back was temporarily unmarked, and that’s all Bassey needed to score his first league goal of the season.
Fulham played on the front foot against Nottingham Forest, notching 24 shots, with 10 on target (compared to eight shots and two on target for Forest). Silva has his boys playing a free-flowing brand of football, so he has gained suitors in the coaching market, such as Tottenham.
Crystal Palace’s stars are gaining suitors
Crystal Palace are a distant challenger for European football, as head coach Oliver Glasner is getting the best out of his key players, so much so that their Premier League rivals have explored the possibility of acquiring them this summer.
Jean-Philippe Mateta has been prolific for the Eagles, notching 24 goals in 38 Premier League matches under Glasner. Despite having fewer touches, the Frenchman has been scoring at will because he has gotten the right service from fellow forwards Eberechi Eze and Ismaila Sarr.
Speaking of Eze, he has caught the eye of Tottenham. And centre-back Marc Guehi is also being eyed by Chelsea. The Eagles may be tempted to cash in on the two this offseason, but their fans might disagree since they’ve been integral cogs to the squad.
History
Fulham won 2-0 against Crystal Palace in the reverse fixture last November at Selhurst Park, as Emile Smith Rowe and Harry Wilson found the back of the net, and Daichi Kamada was sent off in the second half to reduce the Eagles to 10 men. The Cottagers aim to score a league double over the Eagles for the first time since 2000-01.
After winning four of their first seven Premier League matches against Fulham (D1, L2), Crystal Palace are now winless in their last six against the Cottagers (D4, L2). However, Crystal Palace are undefeated in their last five matches at Craven Cottage (W2, D3).
Crystal Palace won their last London derby at West Ham United (2-0) last January. The Eagles look to win consecutive London derbies on the road in an English top-flight campaign since defeating Wimbledon and Tottenham in 1997-98.
Betting Tip
The Premier League 2025 odds expect the hosts to win the three points on Saturday. Fulham are at 2.07 odds to win, while Crystal Palace are priced at 3.28, and a draw is at 3.19 in the 1X2 market. The gap between the Cottagers and Eagles is big enough for us to side with the hosts.
Both teams will likely score in this fixture, with Fulham having more Premier League 2025 highlights than Crystal Palace. Besides our recommended bet, bettors can also opt for choices like Over 2.25 at 1.75, Over 2.50 at 2.00, Over 2.75 at 2.25, and Total Goal 2-3 at 1.97. Furthermore, a Correct Score of 2-0 in favour of Fulham – the result of the reverse fixture – is priced at 9.80.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT)
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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