Crystal Palace vs Fulham — Match Preview
A New Year’s Day London Derby takes center stage at Selhurst Park on Thursday, 1 January 2026. Crystal Palace are in freefall, having lost their last three Premier League matches and failing to win in their last five outings across all competitions. The Eagles sit 9th with 26 points but are desperate to stop the rot after a narrow 0–1 home defeat to Tottenham just days ago. Fulham, level on points (26) in 10th place, arrive in contrasting spirits. Marco Silva’s men have won back-to-back London derbies against West Ham and Nottingham Forest, keeping clean sheets in both. However, they must now navigate a mounting absentee list as international duty strips them of key stars. Palace have won the last three meetings between these sides, but current form suggests the tables could turn.
Crystal Palace vs Fulham — Match Info
- Competition: Premier League (Matchday 19)
- Venue: Selhurst Park, London (Capacity: 25,486)
- Date: Thursday, 1 January 2026
- Kickoff: 15:00 GMT | 16:00 CET | 10:00 ET
- Referee: Tony Harrington (ENG)
Crystal Palace vs Fulham — Match Stakes
Crystal Palace (9th — 26 pts):
- Win → Moves to 29 pts; snaps the 5-game winless streak and potentially climbs to 7th.
- Draw → Stops the run of defeats but extends the winless misery to 6 games.
- Loss → Crisis mode deepens; risk dropping into the bottom half of the table.
Fulham (10th — 26 pts):
- Win → Moves to 29 pts; completes a hat-trick of festive wins and overtakes Palace.
- Draw → A solid point away from home given the depleted squad.
- Loss → Momentum halt; allows Palace to open a 3-point gap in the mid-table battle.
Crystal Palace vs Fulham — Team News
Crystal Palace:
- International Duty: Ismaila Sarr (Senegal) is gone for AFCON.
- Injury Crisis: Cheick Doucoure (Knee), Daichi Kamada (Hamstring), Daniel Munoz (Knee), and Chadi Riad (Knee) are all ruled out.
- Questionable: Chris Richards (Foot) faces a late fitness test.
- Tactical Shift: With Munoz out, veteran Nathaniel Clyne or Joel Ward will likely step in at right-back.
Fulham:
- AFCON Exodus: Fulham are hit hard with Calvin Bassey, Alex Iwobi, and Samuel Chukwueze (all Nigeria) departing for international duty.
- Injuries: Rodrigo Muniz (Hamstring) and Ryan Sessegnon (Hamstring) are out.
- Opportunity: With Bassey and Iwobi out, Issa Diop will partner Joachim Andersen, and Andreas Pereira will likely drop deeper or Sander Berge will start.
Crystal Palace vs Fulham — Team Form (Last 5 Matches)
Crystal Palace
- 28/12 — 0–1 vs Tottenham (Premier League)
- 24/12 — 1–2 vs Arsenal (EFL Cup)
- 21/12 — 1–4 vs Leeds United (Premier League)
- 19/12 — 2–2 vs KuPS (Conference League)
- 14/12 — 0–3 vs Manchester City (Premier League)
Fulham
- 27/12 — 1–0 vs West Ham (Premier League)
- 23/12 — 1–0 vs Nottingham Forest (Premier League)
- 18/12 — 1–2 vs Newcastle (EFL Cup)
- 13/12 — 3–2 vs Burnley (Premier League)
- 07/12 — 1–2 vs Crystal Palace (Premier League)
Crystal Palace vs Fulham — Head-to-Head (Last 5 Meetings)
- 07/12/2025 — Fulham 1–2 Crystal Palace (Premier League)
- 29/03/2025 — Fulham 0–3 Crystal Palace (FA Cup)
- 22/02/2025 — Fulham 0–2 Crystal Palace (Premier League)
- 09/11/2024 — Crystal Palace 0–2 Fulham (Premier League)
- 27/04/2024 — Fulham 1–1 Crystal Palace (Premier League)
Crystal Palace vs Fulham — Playing XI (Predicted Lineups)
Crystal Palace (3-4-2-1)
Henderson; Chalobah, Guehi, Lacroix; Clyne, Wharton, Hughes, Mitchell; Eze, Franca; Mateta
Fulham (4-2-3-1)
Leno; Tete, Andersen, Diop, Robinson; Berge, Pereira; Traore, Smith Rowe, Wilson; Jimenez
Crystal Palace vs Fulham — Impact Bench
Crystal Palace: Nketiah (Goal threat), Schlupp (Versatility)
Fulham: Nelson (Pace), Cairney (Control/Passing), Castagne (Defensive cover)
Crystal Palace vs Fulham — Tactical Analysis
Crystal Palace
Oliver Glasner is under pressure. His side is leaking goals (conceded 10 in last 5 games) and struggling to create without the dynamism of Sarr and Kamada. They will rely heavily on Eberechi Eze’s individual brilliance to unlock a makeshift Fulham defense. The absence of Daniel Munoz is a huge blow to their width and pressing intensity on the right.
Fulham
Marco Silva faces a tactical headache. Losing Bassey (defense) and Iwobi (creation/energy) rips out the spine of his in-form team. Fulham will likely play more conservatively, relying on the counter-attacking pace of Adama Traore and the finishing of Raul Jimenez. They have an extra day of rest compared to Palace, which could be decisive in the final 20 minutes.
Crystal Palace vs Fulham — Key Battles
- Mateta vs Diop — Palace’s powerhouse striker vs Fulham’s backup center-back.
- Eze vs Berge — The battle for space between the lines.
- Traore vs Mitchell — Pace mismatch; Mitchell must not get isolated.
- Jimenez vs Guehi — Experience vs Elite positioning.
Crystal Palace vs Fulham — Spotlight Players
Crystal Palace — Eberechi Eze
With Sarr gone and Olise (long gone), Eze is the sole creative burden carrier. Palace have scored just 2 goals in their last 3 league games; if they are to score here, Eze will be the architect.
Fulham — Emile Smith Rowe
With Iwobi out, “ESR” must step up as the primary playmaker. His ability to find pockets of space will be key to feeding Jimenez and exploiting Palace’s low confidence.
Crystal Palace vs Fulham — Prediction
Crystal Palace 1–1 Fulham
This is a battle of “Poor Form vs Depleted Squad.” Palace have a psychological edge with three straight wins over Fulham, but their current confidence is rock bottom. Fulham are flying but are missing three key starters to AFCON. Expect a disjointed, gritty London derby where both sides cancel each other out.
Crystal Palace vs Fulham — Betting Insights
- Draw — Value Bet (Both teams compromised).
- Under 2.5 Goals — Likely (Palace struggling to score; Fulham missing key creators).
- Raul Jimenez to have 1+ Shot on Target — High Probability.
Crystal Palace vs Fulham — Where to Watch
- UK: Amazon Prime Video (Festive Fixtures)
- USA: Peacock Premium
- International: Optus Sport (Aus), FuboTV (Can)
Crystal Palace vs Fulham — FAQs
Q: When is the Crystal Palace vs Fulham match?
A: The match kicks off on Thursday, 1 January 2026, at 15:00 GMT.
Q: Why are Bassey and Iwobi missing?
A: They have joined the Nigeria squad for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Q: Who is the favorite?
A: It is a tight call. Bookmakers likely have Palace as slight favorites due to home advantage, despite their poor form.
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