Match Preview
Crystal Palace v Fulham
Premier League Match Day 11 24/25 at Selhurst Park
Saturday 9th November 2024 KO: 15:00
Referee:
Michael Salisbury (Lancashire)
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Fulham visit Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Saturday with both teams vying to claim all three points and enter the international break on a high.
Neither side could be separated in home and away encounters last season, with a goalless stalemate played out at Selhurst Park in September 2023 followed by a 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage seven months later.
Fulham looked on course to go four successive Premier League games without a victory as they entered stoppage time of Monday night's West London derby with Brentford 1-0 down, courtesy of a long-range rocket from Vitaly Yanelt.
However, the Cottagers' persistence in the final third paid off and they had super-sub Harry Wilson to thank for securing a dramatic 2-1 victory. Indeed, the Welsh winger came on in the 82nd minute before netting in the 92nd and 97th minutes with Fulham's 25th and 26th shots on goal to spark wild scenes at Craven Cottage.
Marco Silva hailed the mentality of his Fulham players after the match and has claimed that their never-say-die attitude was 'rewarded' with three "deserved" points. Victory helped the Cottagers climb back into the top half of the table and up to ninth spot, just three points behind the top four.
Fulham have picked up 15 points from their opening 10 top-flight fixture this season, but only five of those have been collected on the road. Their 1-0 with at Nottingham Forest in September is one of just four wins in 14 away league games in 2024.
The Cottagers will back themselves to claim a positive result against Crystal Palace this weekend, though, as they have accumulated five points from their last three visits to Selhurst Park and have kept three clean sheets in the process.
Since losing three Premier League games in a row against Everton, Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace have put together a three-game unbeaten run in all competitions, picking up four points in their last two top-flight fixtures.
The Eagles secured their first Premier League win of the season when they beat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 on home soil just under a fortnight ago, and they also beat Aston Villa 2-1 in the last 16 of the EFL Cup before sharing the spoils with Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2-2 draw at Molineux last weekend.
Defensive duo Trevoh Chalobah and captain Marc Guehi were both on the scoresheet for Oliver Glasner's side, who currently sit 17th in the Premier League table and are hovering just two points above the relegation zone after 10 matches.
After beating Spurs in their last game Selhurst Park, Crystal Palace are now bidding to win consecutive London derbies in the top flight for the first time since April 2017 when they beat Chelsea and Arsenal.
However, success on Saturday could prove challenging as the Eagles have failed to win each of their last five Premier League meetings with Fulham, drawing four including each of their last three.
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Crystal Palace are winless in their last five Premier League games against Fulham (D4 L1), with each of the last three meetings ending in a draw.
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Fulham have kept a clean sheet in each of their last three away league games against Crystal Palace – only at Bolton (between 2000 and 2004) and Middlesbrough (2015-2022) have they kept four consecutive clean sheets on the road in their league history.xx
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Fulham’s 15 points from 10 matches represents their best start to a Premier League campaign in 21 years.
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The only league game they have failed to score in this season was a 1-0 defeat by Manchester United on the opening day.
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The Cottagers could score in 10 consecutive league fixtures for the first time since 2022.
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Marco Silva has drawn five of his nine previous league encounters with Crystal Palace, including three goalless draws.
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Raul Jimenez has failed to score in any of his eight Premier League appearances against Palace.
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Palace’s tally of seven points from 10 matches is their third-worst start to a Premier League campaign, after 2013-14 and 2017-18.
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The Eagles have four points from their past two league games, one more than they managed in their first eight this season (D3, L5).
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They could win successive Premier League London derbies for the first time in over seven years.
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Jean-Philippe Mateta has scored 14 goals in 12 Premier League appearances at Selhurst Park since Oliver Glasner was appointed in February.
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Source Oliver Thomas at SportsMole/BBC Sports