Premier League: Fulham Keen to Extend Undefeated Crystal Palace Streak

Crystal Palace vs Fulham

It’s ninth versus 10^th for this particular matchup, as Crystal Palace host Fulham on the sixth matchday of the 2023-24 Premier League campaign.

The Eagles are fresh from a 3-1 loss against Aston Villa, whereas the Cottagers won against Luton Town 1-0 on Saturday.

Crystal Palace and Fulham have had a mixed bag of Premier League 2023 results to start the season, with both teams each recording two wins, two losses, and one draw for seven points.

Moreover, these two clubs are currently level with the eighth-seeded Nottingham Forest, who have a big (mis)match against Manchester City on Saturday. A win by either side would propel them to the top half of the standings.

Talking Points

Hodgson’s back, but Olise remains sidelined for Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson is expected to be back in the dugout against Fulham on Saturday as he has recovered from an illness.

The oldest manager in Premier League history, who replaced Patrick Vieira late last season, missed Crystal Palace’s defeat to Aston Villa last weekend as assistant manager Paddy McCarthy took charge.

The Eagles could have been loftily placed in the top half of the Premier League standings had they held on against the Villans. When Odsonne Edouard put them up 1-0, Crystal Palace were about to park the bus, only to be derailed by late goals from Jhon Duran, Douglas Luiz, and Leon Bailey.

But despite the defeat, Crystal Palace are still in good shape. That’s because goals have been easy to come by for the Eagles, who have notched 10 goals in all competitions so far this season, with their last three games all having four goals or more (for both teams).

Palace’s goal scoring exploits are a tip to the cap for Hodgson, who loves his attacking style of football. He is enjoying his second tenure at Selhurst Park, especially after he navigated the team away from the relegation zone last year.

Odsonne Edouard and Jean-Philippe Mateta have been the primary beneficiaries of Hodgson’s tactics since they already have eight goals thus far, but they need help from others.

Eberechi Eze will have to up his current tally of one goal and two assists, and they’re also waiting on the return of Michael Olise, who sustained a hamstring injury while playing for France at the European U21s Championship in June.

Fulham are glad Palhinha stayed

Fulham fans breathed a huge sigh of relief when they learned that Joao Palhinha is not leaving the club anytime soon. The box-to-box midfielder just signed a new contract on Thursday to signify his long-term commitment to the Cottagers.

He was supposed to move to Bayern Munich this summer, but the deal collapsed at the last minute because Fulham couldn’t find a suitable replacement. Prior to that, the Cottagers also rejected a £45 million offer from West Ham United.

Against Luton Town, Palhinha reminded everyone why he’s so highly rated because his quality on and off the ball was on full display. Since his arrival last season, Palhinha has made 160 tackles in the Premier League, and behind him are Idrissa Gueye and Moises Caicedo with 109 and 107, respectively.

History

Fulham have had Crystal Palace’s number lately, as they’ve gone undefeated in their last three meetings (W1, D2) following a three-game losing streak between 2018 and 2020.

The Cottagers beat the Eagles 3-0 at this exact fixture last term. Should they win again this weekend, they will have defeated them in consecutive away league games for the first time since 1978 (W3).

But that will be easier said than done as the Eagles have lost just two of their last 12 home Premier League matches (W4, D6), with the losses only coming against Manchester City in March and Arsenal last August.

Betting Tip 

The SBOTOP Premier League 2023 odds expect a lively encounter at Selhurst Park on Saturday. Because they’re at home, Crystal Palace were given the edge at 1.97, while Fulham are at 3.45 odds to win, and a draw is pegged at 3.30 in the 1X2 market.

But while the Eagles are fancied to win, the Cottagers are more than capable of beating the hosts to extend their unbeaten streak against them, especially after coming off a win last time out.

One thing’s for sure: we should see a handful of goals from both sides, save for their February 2021 matchup, so Over 2.50 at 2.09 appears to be your best available bet, while we wouldn’t rule out going for Total Goal 4-6 at 4.00.

 

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