Soccer English Premier League Prediction

Crystal Palace vs Nottingham - Match Preview

⚽ 28 May 2023 - 15:30 GMT +0

After Roy Hodgson came into Crystal Palace and steadied the ship in their battle to beat the drop, the Eagles have been able to assure their top-flight status for next season with consummate ease. Despite what on the face of it has been an average campaign, victory here will see Palace end the season in 11th, which would mark their joint-highest finish in the last eight seasons.

Encouragingly for Palace in search of that feat, they have never lost their final league match of the season in the top-flight when finishing the campaign at home (W7, D3). Nottingham Forest may pose a serious threat to that proud record, as Palace have won just one of the last nine home league H2Hs (D4, L4), though this is the first such meeting at Selhurst Park since 2012.

With rumours that Forest boss Steve Cooper could be in the running for the Palace job when it becomes vacant in the summer, this could be a potential audition. While Forest fans may not be keen at the thought of losing Cooper, he has at least already masterminded their survival, which was confirmed last weekend thanks to an eye-catching 1-0 win against Premier League runners-up Arsenal.

That win came at home though, and on the road, Forest has been eye-catching for all the wrong reasons, clocking up just one away league win across the season (W1, D4, L13) - the division’s poorest travelling record. Hope springs eternal though, as this is Forest’s first time finishing a regular season league campaign away to a London side since 2010/11, when they ended with a 3-0 win at this very ground!

📋 Players to watch: With five of his last seven goals serving as game-openers, expect a fast start from Palace’s Odsonne Édouard. He’ll likely be vying with Forest’s Taiwo Awoniyi in search of first blood as he’s netted the opener in all seven of his league-scoring appearances this season.

⚡ Hot streak: Forest has conceded at least twice in eight successive away league games.