Match Preview
Crystal Palace vrs Fulham
Premier League Match Day 16 22/23 at Selhurst Park
Monday 26th December 2022 KO: 15:00
Referee:
Andy Madley (West Yorkshire)
|
Ben Knapton
Fulham and Crystal Palace mark their returns to Premier League action with a London derby at Selhurst Park on Boxing Day.
Only two place separates the two 19-point sides in the table at present, with the Eagles - who have a game in hand - down in 11th while the Cottagers occupy ninth place.
The World Cup break arguably came at an ideal time for Fulham with the Cottagers maybe just running out of steam following an eye-catching first half of the season, which has allowed them to cement their place in the top half of the rankings.
Facing both Manchester clubs in the space of seven days was a gruelling affair for Marco Silva's men, who only went down 2-1 to Manchester City and Manchester United in both games, and it took two injury-time winners from Erling Braut Haaland and Alejandro Garnacho to settle those contests.
Only Leicester City (25) have scored more goals than Fulham (24) outside of the Premier League's top six this season, and the Cottagers' only winter friendly ended in a 1-1 draw with West Ham United last Saturday, where Carlos Vinicius made the net ripple in the absence of the prolific Aleksandar Mitrovic.
Goal-laden away matches have been the theme for Fulham in the top flight this term, with Silva's side scoring 10 goals and conceding a further 13 in their last six such games, and they could now become the first Premier League team in history to lost three successive games courtesy of 90+ minute winners.
None of Fulham's last five Premier League games against Crystal Palace has ended in victory for the Cottagers, who most recently held the Eagles to a 0-0 draw at Selhurst Park in February 2021, and it has been over nine years since the visitors last scored or won at Selhurst Park.
Another topsy-turvy season of inconsistency has befallen those at Selhurst Park, but the positive signs far outweigh the negative ones under Patrick Vieira, who is pushing for his side to upset the top-half apple cart in the second half of the campaign.
Defeats to Newcastle United in the EFL Cup and Nottingham Forest in the Premier League without scoring a goal was far from the ideal way for Palace to enter the World Cup break, and the Eagles were also left wanting in more than one of their winter friendlies.
Indeed, Vieira's side drew with Botafogo and Trabzonspor before suffering a 3-1 defeat to runaway Serie A leaders Napoli - which not many will knock them for - but a Wilfried Zaha double helped Palace overcome Real Valladolid 2-1 on December 16.
A total of 19 points from 14 matches has left Palace within touching distance of the top half, but a paltry tally of 15 goals is only better than that of the bottom five teams in the division, and both of their most recent Boxing Day fixtures have ended in 3-0 defeats.
However, home is where the heart is for Crystal Palace, who have recorded successive Premier League wins over Leeds United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Southampton on their own patch, and only Chelsea and Arsenal have beaten Vieira's men at Selhurst Park in Palace's last 13 home games.
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Crystal Palace have won only two of their past 13 home league fixtures against Fulham (D6, L5).
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However, Palace are unbeaten in five Premier League meetings since a 4-1 home defeat in October 2013 (W3, D2).
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That win for Fulham was the only time that they have scored in their last four Premier League away games against Palace.
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Fulham are hoping to avoid a third Premier League defeat in a row.
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Their previous two defeats have been caused by conceding stoppage-time goals. No side has ever lost three consecutive Premier League games that way.
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Fulham have already won five of their 15 Premier League fixtures in this campaign, equalling their tally for the whole of their most recent Premier League season in 2020-21.
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Only Arsenal and Tottenham have scored in more Premier League matches than Fulham's 13 this season.
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Fulham are unbeaten in their last five Boxing Day games, drawing the last three.
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Crystal Palace could win four home matches in a row for the first time in the Premier League. It would equal the club record for consecutive top-flight victories, set in 1989 and matched in 1990.
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All of Palace's dropped points at Selhurst Park in the Premier League this season have come in London derbies, with defeats by Arsenal and Chelsea and a draw with Brentford.
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The Eagles have kept just one clean sheet in their seven home league fixtures this season.
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Palace have only won one of their past seven Boxing Day games in the Premier League, losing 3-0 in the last two.
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Head coach Patrick Vieira won all eight of his Premier League Boxing Day matches as a player.
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