Match Preview
Fulham vrs Crystal Palace
Premier League Match Day 15 25/26 at Craven Cottage
Sunday 7th December 2025 KO: 16:30
Referee:
Samuel Barrott (West Riding)
Live on SkySports
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After coming within centimetres of one of the Premier League's all-time greatest comebacks, Fulham swiftly return to Craven Cottage for a London derby date with Crystal Palace on Sunday.
The hosts' extraordinary second-half efforts were ultimately in vain during a 5-4 midweek loss to Manchester City, while the Eagles played out a much less chaotic affair in Lancashire, edging out Burnley 1-0.
When Jeremy Doku's strike cannoned off of Sander Berge's leg and into the back of the Fulham net - putting a merciless Man City 5-1 up against Marco Silva's men - the Craven Cottage faithful could have been forgiven for filtering out of the stadium.
However, two Samuel Chukwueze strikes and an Alex Iwobi effort later, Fulham threatened a turnaround of epic proportions against the Sky Blues and oh so nearly pulled it off, only for Josko Gvardiol to clear Joshua King's injury-time strike off the line.
Tuesday's absorbing affair saw Fulham enter an unwanted club - becoming just the third team after Norwich City and Tottenham Hotspur to lose a home game in the Premier League after scoring four goals - but putting a quartet past Pep Guardiola's men is already an achievement in itself.
A gritty point would still be preferable to a nearly moment for the Cottagers, though, as Silva's 15th-placed side are only five points clear of the Premier League relegation zone, although the same chasm separates them from Brighton & Hove Albion in seventh.
Nine of Fulham's 17 points this term have been won in their last five games, though, and only resilient leaders Arsenal have prevented the hosts from scoring at their Craven Cottage home so far in 2025-26.
Coincidentally, only Arsenal boast a better defensive record than upcoming visitors Crystal Palace, who have been breached just 11 times all season and recorded their seventh Premier League clean sheet of the campaign in midweek.
Two in-demand defenders combined for the decisive action against relegation-threatened Burnley, as Marc Guehi's pinpoint delivery found the head of Daniel Munoz to nod home the game's only goal on the stroke of half time.
Attempting to upset the Champions League apple cart, Oliver Glasner's fifth-placed men now trail fourth-placed Chelsea by just one point, although their current ranking may suffice for UCL qualification based on England's UEFA coefficient.
A lack of consistency has bedevilled the FA Cup holders in recent weeks - evidenced by three wins, one draw and two losses from their last six Premier League scraps - and the Eagles are also seeking back-to-back Premier League London derby wins for the first time in over eight years.
Both Fulham and Crystal Palace beat each other 2-0 away from home in last year's fixtures, but the Cottagers are remarkably waiting for their first Premier League win over the Eagles at Craven Cottage since January 2005, when Andy Cole bagged a brace.
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Fulham have won none of their last six Premier League home games against Crystal Palace (D3 L3) since a 3-1 victory in January 2005.
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Crystal Palace won this exact fixture 2-0 in February, ending a six-game winless run against Fulham in the Premier League (D4 L2).
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Fulham have alternated between defeat (3) and victory (2) in their last five home London derbies in the Premier League, losing 1-0 against Arsenal last time out in October.
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Fulham scored four goals for the first time in 52 Premier League matches last time out against Man City, but still ended on the losing side. It was just the second time they’d lost a home league match while scoring 4+ goals, after a 4-6 defeat to Leicester in September 1952.
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Since the start of last season, only Brighton (23) have had more goals scored via substitutes in the Premier League than Fulham (21, excl. own goals), with Samuel Chukwueze netting twice from the bench against Man City last time out.
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Fulham’s Samuel Chukwueze is averaging a goal or assist every 46 minutes in the Premier League this season, scoring two and assisting three in just 229 minutes. It’s the best minutes per goal involvement of any player in the competition’s history (min. 200 minutes).
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Three of Emile Smith Rowe’s last five Premier League goals have been headers – none of his first 15 in the competition for Arsenal and Fulham had been headed.
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Crystal Palace won 2-0 against Brentford in their last Premier League London derby – they’ve not won consecutive derby matches since April 2017 (vs Chelsea and Arsenal).
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Only Arsenal have kept more clean sheets (8) and conceded fewer goals (7) in the Premier League this season than Crystal Palace (7 clean sheets, 11 goals conceded), with the Eagles keeping a shutout in four of their last five games.
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Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta has never scored a Premier League goal against Fulham in five games against them, his joint most against a side without a goal (also five vs Southampton). He’s had 10 shots and registered an xG of 1.52 without scoring against the Cottagers.
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Source Ben Knapton at SportsMole/BBCSports