Prediction: Crystal Palace vs Fulham

Verdict: Over 1.5 goals

Best Odds: 2/5

Bookmaker: Dachbet

With London bragging rights up for grabs on Saturday afternoon, Crystal Palace will welcome Fulham to Selhurst Park.

Crystal Palace

Starting with the hosts, marking their return from September’s international break with a nightmare late collapse away at Aston Villa, it will be interesting to see if Crystal Palace show any signs of a hangover here. Eventually slumping to a last-gasp 3-1 loss in the Midlands, Roy Hodgson will be calling on his squad to find some much-needed stability. Heading into the fortnight interval with an action-packed 3-2 victory at home against Wolves, the one-time England boss has seen his side win two of their opening five Premier League appearances so far this season. Managing to extend on their EFL Cup adventure on August 29th following a 4-2 win away at Championship outfit Plymouth, the Eagles are also seeking some much-needed defensive resolve. Along with shipping five strikes in their back-to-back Premier League showdowns on either side of the international break, Palace have failed to record a single clean sheet from their previous five appearances across all competitions.

Team News

Limping off midway through the first-half away at Aston Villa last weekend, Crystal Palace are sweating over the fitness of Jordan Ayew here. Dealing with a long-term hamstring injury and yet to make a single appearance so far this season, Hodgson will once again be unable to call upon attacking talisman Michael Olise on Saturday afternoon.

Bagging what turned out to be a consolation in the Midlands last weekend and now notching five goals in his first six appearances across all formats, the red-hot Odsonne Edouard will spearhead Palace’s charge at Selhurst Park.

Fulham

As for the visitors, while Fulham might have entered September’s international break with a routine 5-1 loss away at defending champions Manchester City, the Cottagers claimed an immediate boost last weekend. Putting in a gritty performance on home soil as they landed a 1-0 victory against Premier League returners Luton, Marco Silva’s men have their sights firmly set on mounting another top-half charge this time around. Extending on their EFL Cup adventure on August 29th as they edged past a high-flying Tottenham, the former Everton boss will be calling on his side to lay down another marker here. Losing just one of their previous four appearances across all competitions, Fulham will also be excited by their most recent trip to Selhurst Park. In fact, when Silva’s men arrived in west London back on Boxing Day, Saturday’s guests claimed a thumping 3-0 victory.

Team News

Once again missing out last weekend, Fulham will once again be without 25-year-old defender Tosin Adarabioyo here. Likewise, Serbian international Sasa Lukic also remains on the sidelines after sustaining a knee injury against Arsenal last weekend.

Coming off the bench and bagging the winner against Luton last weekend in his first Premier League appearance of the season, Carlos Vinicius will be hoping for a full recall on Saturday afternoon. However, former Wolves striker Raul Jimenez should spearhead Silva’s attack this weekend.

Key Factors to Consider

• When the two sides last met at Selhurst Park back on Boxing Day, Fulham picked up a shock 3-0 victory.
• Likewise, the Cottagers are unbeaten in each of their previous three Premier League meetings against Saturday’s hosts.
• Along with shipping five goals in their back-to-back Premier League showdowns, Crystal Palace have failed to muster a single clean sheet from their last five appearances across all formats.
• Former Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard has scored five goals in his last six appearances across all competitions.
• 13 of the last 14 meetings between Crystal Palace and Fulham have finished with over 1.5 goals.

Conclusion

Suffering that remarkable last-gasp collapse away at Aston Villa last weekend as they eventually slumped to a 3-1 defeat, Crystal Palace are seeking an immediate response here. However, showing some extended defensive issues on either side of September’s international break, some in Fulham’s camp could be smelling the chance to spring another upset at Selhurst Park. With the Cottagers storming their way to a stellar 3-0 romp when they arrived in south London back on Boxing Day, Silva’s men will be seeking a repeat performance on Saturday afternoon. It should be noted, with 13 of the last 14 meetings between Palace and Fulham seeing over 1.5 goals by the final whistle, we are expecting a similar outcome here.

Verdict: Over 1.5 goals

Best Odds: 2/5

Bookmaker: Dachbet