Fulham hosts Crystal Palace in Sunday’s London derby.
Fulham vs. Crystal Palace kicks off at 16:30 [GMT] on Sunday, December 7, at Craven Cottage.
Fulham [WLWWL] and Crystal Palace prepare to meet again in a fixture that has quietly grown into a pattern of frustrations for the home side. Fulham’s record at Craven Cottage against their London rivals has been remarkably bleak in Premier League play, with no home wins in this fixture since a 3-1 victory all the way back in January 2005. Six league meetings have taken place there since then, and Fulham have failed to win any of them, splitting the points three times and losing three more. Fulham’s recent form in London derbies at home has been unpredictable at best. Their last five Premier League derby matches at Craven Cottage have produced a curious alternation between victory and defeat: three losses and two wins in that sequence. Fulham scored four goals for the first time in 52 league matches in their most recent home outing, yet still finished empty-handed in a wild meeting with Manchester City which finished 4-5. Remarkably, it was only the second time in the club’s league history they had lost at home while scoring four or more goals. Though Fulham’s results have fluctuated, their bench continues to play an outsized role in their attacking threat. Since the start of last season, only Brighton have scored more goals via substitutes, with Fulham producing 21 during that span. Samuel Chukwueze exemplifies that impact perfectly. The winger, who came on to score twice against Manchester City, is currently averaging a goal contribution every 46 minutes in league play — the best such rate in Premier League history for any player with at least 200 minutes played. Fulham will be hoping to find inspiration from the bench once again when they appear with a 4—2—3—1 formation, having Raúl Jiménez in attack.
Crystal Palace [WDWLW] were the last to leave West London with all three points in this exact fixture, recording a 2-0 win in February that also brought an end to a rough run of their own. That victory snapped a six-game winless spell in league meetings with Fulham, suggesting a shift in momentum between the two clubs. Palace have seven shutouts to their name and have allowed just 11 goals, keeping clean sheets in four of their last five matches. Their most recent London derby also produced a strong defensive showing, earning a 2-0 victory over Brentford. Interestingly, the club have not won back-to-back derby fixtures since April 2017, when they recorded victories over Chelsea and Arsenal. They will be hoping to do so here. A 3—4—2—1 with Jean-Philippe Mateta in attack is expected against Fulham.