Crystal Palace, Fulham go head-to-head in mid-table clash.
Crystal Palace vs. Fulham begins at 17:30 [GMT] on Thursday, January 1, 2026, at Selhurst Park.
Crystal Palace welcomes Fulham to Selhurst Park on New Year’s Day in a fixture that has quietly tilted in the visitors’ favor over recent seasons, particularly in south London. Palace’s struggles at home against Fulham are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. The Eagles have failed to win or score in any of their last four Premier League home meetings with the Cottagers (D2 L2), a run stretching back to a 2–0 victory in February 2019. More broadly, the away side has gone unbeaten in the last nine league meetings between the clubs (W5 D4), underlining just how uncomfortable this matchup has become for Palace supporters. The timing of the fixture may also weigh heavily on the hosts. Crystal Palace are winless in all six of their Premier League matches played on New Year’s Day (D3 L3), with their last top-flight victory on 1 January coming all the way back in 1992. January in general has been problematic at Selhurst Park, with Palace winning just four of their last 20 home league games in the month. Despite the New Year blues, putting an end to a three-game losing run [WWLLL] is one of the objectives on Thursday. A 4—2—3—1 formation with Mateta in attack is expected against the Cottagers.
Defensive dominance has been central to Fulham’s success at Selhurst Park. They have kept clean sheets in each of their last four away league visits here, a sequence that places history on the line. Fulham have never managed five consecutive away clean sheets against a single opponent. Fortunately, Fulham arrive with momentum firmly on their side. Three consecutive Premier League victories have lifted confidence, and only once before have the Cottagers managed to win four in a row in the competition, doing so during their impressive run in the 2022–23 season. While New Year’s Day has historically been mixed for Fulham, their current trajectory suggests a team well-equipped to defy seasonal trends. Much of Fulham’s assurance in this fixture stems from the touchline. Marco Silva is unbeaten in his last five away Premier League matches against Crystal Palace (W2 D3), remarkably keeping a clean sheet in all five. No manager in Premier League history has ever recorded six consecutive away clean sheets against the same opponent, giving Silva the chance to etch his name into the record books. A 4—2—3—1 formation with Raúl Jiménez in attack is expected against Palace. Rodrigo Muniz is ruled out due to injury.