Saturday’s 3 pm Premier League action includes a meeting between Marco Silva’s Fulham and Crystal Palace at Craven Cottage.
The duo have endured fairly unmemorable 2023/24 Premier League campaigns so far but will no doubt be eager to end the year on a high.
Fulham go into the game with an outside chance of making it into the top seven, while Crystal Palace have already confirmed their top-flight status for another season after a win over Newcastle on Wednesday.
Fulham vs Crystal Palace
The loss of top goalscorer Aleksandar Mitrovic during the 2023 summer transfer window has impacted Fulham’s form a fair bit. The Cottagers were able to go deep in the FA Cup last term and finish inside the top half of the table, with a push for European football even looking likely at one stage last season.
Things have not gone as well this term, as illustrated by the fact the Cottagers have picked up just one win in their last five league outings. However, Marco Silva’s side can still match last season’s 10th-place finish despite occupying the number 13 spot ahead of the weekend.
Premier League Top Half Finish: Current Standings
- 10th - Bournemouth Pld 34 - Pts 45
- 11th - Brighton Pld 33 - Pts 44
- 12th - Wolves Pld 34 - Pts 43
- 13th - Fulham Pld 34 - Pts 42
- 14th - Crystal Palace Pld 34 - Pts 39
As shown above, it is still possible for Crystal Palace to secure a top-10 finish this term. However, the mid-season blip under then-manger Roy Hodgson means it is very unlikely, hence why the Eagles are priced at 40/1 to do so.
Crystal Palace have already secured their place in next season’s Premier League as well, after they beat Newcastle 2-0 on April 24. However, Oliver Glasner will no doubt be keen to continue his side’s current form into the end of the season as he looks ahead to 2024/25. The Austrian boss has transformed the London outfit into a much more attacking side, scoring 10 goals in their previous four league encounters.
Fulham vs Crystal Palace betting stats
Here are some key Fulham and Crystal Palace stats to keep in mind as you prepare to make your selections ahead of the game:
- Fulham suffered their 16th Premier League defeat of the season last time out, equalling their total for the whole of last term. Seven of those losses have come at Craven Cottage – one more than they lost at home in the league in 2022/23 (6).
- Fulham’s Joao Palhinha received his 13th yellow card of the Premier League season last week – the most of any player. After his 14 yellows last season, he is just the second player to be given 13 or more yellow cards in two separate Premier League campaigns, after Olivier Dacourt (1998/99, 2000/01) and Robbie Savage (2001/02, 2003/04).
- Crystal Palace go into Saturday having won three successive Premier League games for the first time since April 2023, while it is as many wins as in their previous 20 matches in the competition (D6 L11).
- Since Oliver Glasner’s first league game in charge (24 February), only Cole Palmer (10) has scored more goals in the competition than Jean-Philippe Mateta (eight). He is just the fourth player to net at least two goals in successive games in the competition for Crystal Palace after Chris Armstrong in September 1992, Connor Wickham in March 2016 and Dwight Gayle in May 2014.
Fulham vs Crystal Palace Top Tip
- In just nine appearances, Jean-Philippe Mateta has scored more Premier League goals for Crystal Palace under Oliver Glasner (eight) than he did under either Roy Hodgson (five in 35 games) or Patrick Vieira (six in 44).
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