(Football news) The first time the two London teams have faced each other since their goalless draw at Selhurst Park in September of last year. Even though Fulham hasn’t looked like they could be in danger of falling out of the Premier League this year, a run of three losses in their last four games leaves much to be desired, and Marco Silva’s team is now having to play catch-up in order to earn a second consecutive top-half finish.
A 2-0 triumph against West Ham United came after defeats at the hands of Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest, but last weekend’s setback to Liverpool (1-3) doomed the Cottagers to their 16th league defeat of the season.
Fulham remain in with a shot of matching their 52-point haul from last season, although they require 10 points from their remaining four fixtures to achieve that. The Cottagers sit 13th in the table and only three points behind Bournemouth in 10th, while they are eight points adrift of the top seven, so a late push for Europe will be a tall order.
A return to Craven Cottage on Saturday will be welcomed by Fulham as they have collected 66.7% of their Premier League points on home soil this season, although they have lost their two matches in front of their own fans and will be seeking to avoid three home losses in a row for the first time since a run of six in May 2021.
Fulham will fancy their chances of claiming a positive result against Crystal Palace, whom they have not lost against in any of their previous four league meetings, while Silva’s side have won four of their last five London derbies in the top flight, as many as their previous 44 beforehand.
In contrast to Fulham, Crystal Palace are in buoyant mood as they have won each of their last three Premier League games by an aggregate score of 8-2, with their latest success over Newcastle United securing their Premier League status for a club-record 12th successive season.
Three days after thumping West Ham United 5-2 at Selhurst Park, the Eagles returned to home soil and claimed a 2-0 victory over the Magpies on Wednesday, with Jean-Philippe Mateta following up his brace against the Hammers with two more goals to increase his tally for the campaign to 11 in the Premier League.
Since taking over as Crystal Palace’s manager in February, Oliver Glasner has adapted well to his role and successfully guided the team to safety with four games remaining. The Eagles are currently 14th in the table and 14 points above the drop zone; a win on Saturday would tie them with Fulham in 13th place in terms of points.
In their most recent away game, Palace unexpectedly defeated Liverpool 1-0 at Anfield to snap a 10-game losing streak. With four straight wins at Craven Cottage, Palace will head to Fulham on Saturday full of excitement.
Also read: Liverpool will play West Ham United in EPL
