Soccer English Premier League Prediction

Fulham vs Crystal Palace - Match Preview

⚽ 20 May 2023 - 14:00 GMT +0

It’s little surprise Fulham boss Marco Silva has been linked to various Premier League (PL) managerial vacancies after he has overseen an incredible two-year period at the club. Silva led his side to the Championship title last season and has ended a five-season run of promotion followed by relegation with an all-but-guaranteed first top-half finish for the Cottagers in the PL since 2011/12.

Victory here against London rivals Crystal Palace will secure that goal - at the Eagles’ expense - and that’s certainly not beyond them after mathematically relegating Southampton with a 2-0 win last weekend. That was the Cottagers' second straight win by a multi-goal margin and they now have the chance to make it three in a row in the PL for the first time ever!

Standing in their way is the PL’s oldest boss, 75-year-old veteran manager Roy Hodgson, who has shown age is just a number by helping turn fortunes around at Selhurst Park since his arrival (W5, D1, L2). In fact, the visitors have just one fewer PL win under this Hodgson regime than they accrued across the opening 28 rounds (W6, D9, L13)!

Whilst Hodgson remains open to the idea of staying on next season, there’s also the possibility that this could be his last away game in management. If that’s the case, he’ll hope to end Palace’s three-season run of losing in the final road league game of the season by taking advantage of Fulham’s own dreary record across their last eight PL home campaign-ending games (W1, D2, L5). The prospects of that are good given the Eagles have soared to back-to-back away H2H wins!

📋 Players to watch: Aleksandar Mitrović (G12) made a triumphant return to the Fulham team last weekend after eight PL games and 55 days off the pitch by scoring a goal within ten minutes of his introduction. Eberichi Eze is the only Palace player who can boast a double-figure PL goal return (G10), six of which he has scored in his last seven appearances!

⚡ Hot stat: Fulham have failed to win eight of their 11 London derbies this season (W3, D1, L7).