It seems like an age when we last saw the Eagles at Selhurst Park but the Premier League season returns with two fixtures that will see our 2022 before we begin another twelve months.
TIME/ DATE/ VENUE
- 3pm
- 26th December 2022
- Selhurst Park, Holmesdale Road, London SE25 6PU
PREVIOUS MEETING
The last time Fulham came to South London was back in February 2021 and there was very little to take from the goalless draw, apart from the player names man of the match….
WHO SCORED MAN OF THE MATCH – Joachim Andersen (7.8)
OFFICIALS
- Referee: Andy Madley
- Assistants: Marc Perry, Steve Meredith
- Fourth official: John Busby
- VAR: Mike Dean
- Assistant VAR: Richard West
TEAM NEWS
PALACE – Nathan Ferguson continues to miss out but is schedule to join the first team again at the turn of the year. Joachim Andersen and Jordan Ayew are available for selection after returning from the World Cup. Mac Guehi is suspended after receiving a fifth booking while James McArthur is out injured. Sam Johnstone is a doubt.
FULHAM – It is not clear whether Aleksandar Mitrovic and Antonee Robinson will be available for selection after their involvement at the World Cup. Neeskens Kebano and Manor Solomon miss out due to injury.
DISCIPLINARY THIS SEASON
RED CARDS – Nathaniel Chalobah (1)
YELLOW CARDS (5+) – Bobby De Cordova-Reid (6), Joao Palhinha (5), Kenny Tete (5), Cheick Doucoure (5)
FORM GUIDE
Last FIVE meetings between the two sides;
- 28/02/21 Palace 0-0 Fulham
- 24/10/20 Fulham 1-2 Palace
- 02/02/19 Palace 2-0 Fulham
- 11/08/18 Fulham 0-2 Palace
- 30/07/16 Fulham 3-1 Palace
Last FIVE results for Palace:
- 12/11/22 Forest 1-0 Palace
- 06/11/22 Newcastle 0-0 Palace
- 29/11/22 Palace 1-0 Southampton
- 22/10/22 Everton 3-0 Palace
- 18/10/22 Palace 2-1 Wolves
Last FIVE results for Fulham;
- 13/11/22 Fulham 1-2 Manchester United
- 05/11/22 City 2-1 Fulham
- 29/10/22 Fulham 0-0 Everton
- 23/10/22 Leeds 2-3 Fulham
- 20/10/22 Fulham 3-0 Villa
LEAGUE POSITION
Heading into the fixture, Fulham sit in 9th place with 19 points from 15 games played while Palace are in 11th with the same points but from 14 games.
RECORD AGAINST FULHAM
- Played 47
- Won 14
- Drawn 16
- Lost 17
FORM PLAYERS ACCORDING TO WHO SCORED
- Aleksandar Mitrovic 7.42
- Bernd Leno 7.14
- Wilfried Zaha 7.06
- Eberechi Eze 6.99
ONE TO WATCH
BERND LENO
FORMER CLUBS – SV Germania Bietigheim, Vfb Stuttgart, Bayer Leverkusen, Arsenal
The German international was a surprise recruit at Craven Cottage after making a century of appearances for Arsenal, however, he has played an important part in Fulham’s good start to the season.
KEY CLASH
CHEICK DOUCOURE v ANDREAS PEREIRA
The midfield battle will be a key part of this match up and we are hoping that Doucoure continues his fine form in a Palace shirt since making his debut for the club. He is likely to come up against a player in similar form in the shape of former Manchester United midfielder Pereira.
PRE-MATCH FACTS
- Palace have won 3 of their last 5 league games
- They have one as many games as they have lost so far this season (5)
- Fulham have conceded at least 2 goals in 8 of their last 10 league matches
- Palace are unbeaten against Fulham in their last 5 league games, winning 3 of them
- The Eagles have not conceded to Fulham in either of their last 2 home games, and once in their last 4 games against the Cottagers
PRE-MATCH STATS
- GOALS – Wilfried Zaha (6 – 11th in PL)
- ASSISTS – Eberechi Eze (3 – 14th in PL)
- PASSES – Marc Guehi (906 – 9th in PL)
- TACKLES – Jordan Ayew (31)
- TOUCHES – Marc Guehi (1067 – 11th in PL)
- SHOTS – Wilfried Zaha (35 – 13th in PL)
- SAVES – Vicente Guaita (38 – 13th in PL)
DID YOU KNOW?
Fulham have been at Craven Cottage for more than a century now but they’ve spent time south of the river as well. The club were nomadic in their early days and called grounds on either side of the river home, including the likes of Star Road, the Ranelagh Club, Lillie Road, Eel Brook Common, Purser’s Cross, Barn Elms, and the Half Moon – which they shared with Wasps Rugby club.
PREDICTION
There is no doubt that here a lot of players up and down the country keen to get back onto the pitch, and the wait is almost over. It is unlikely we can read anything into the warm up games we have seen over the last couple of weeks but a run out against the Serie A leaders was very worthy indeed. We are expecting Palace to make up for that disappointing loss before the break and kick back off with a victory to get the club firmly placed in the top ten,
FINAL SCORE: 2-0
BETTING ODDS
- Home – 21/20
- Draw – 5/2
- Away – 12/5
- Both teams to score – 3/4
RESOURCES
