Overview
2025 is generally a positive year for Crystal Palace, culminating in the FA Cup championship. However, they closed the year in a gloomy manner when experiencing a 5-match winning streak in all competitions, including 3 consecutive defeats in the Premier League.
Still stunned after the defeat to Arsenal on penalties in the Carabao Cup, a tired and lacking Crystal Palace continued to succumb to another North London opponent of Arsenal. Archie Gray's first goal in his career became the difference, deciding Palace's 0-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur last weekend.
Coach Oliver Glasner admitted that the squad needs to be strengthened in the January transfer window to stop the decline that caused Palace to drop to ninth place in the Premier League and be 6 points behind the top 4.
Before being able to act in the winter market, Glasner is forced to take advantage of what he has for the upcoming match. Palace can take as a basis from their last encounter with Fulham, when they won 2-1 at the London stadium 3 weeks ago.
That result means Palace has won all three recent encounters between the two teams in all competitions. However, at Selhurst Park, Palace is facing difficulties. They have not won in the last four times against Fulham, and have not even scored any goals in this series of matches.
The home form of Glasner's team is also not very bright. Palace has not won in their last 5 home matches, including 4 matches in the Premier League (1 draw, 3 losses), with 3 matches unbeaten and losing all 3 recent matches.
The Southern London team is also unlucky on New Year's Day, as they have not won in the last 6 Premier League matches taking place on this day.
In the opposite direction, Fulham traveled with a high spirit after a 1-0 victory over West Ham at the London stadium last weekend, thanks to Raul Jimenez's late header.
Despite the absence of some key players, Fulham still maintains good form when winning all 3 recent Premier League matches, including a dramatic 5-goal victory at Burnley's home ground and a 1-0 victory over Nottingham Forest.
Currently ranked 10th with 26 points - equal to the home team's points - Fulham can rise to seventh place if they continue to win all 3 points, although winning 4 consecutive matches in the Premier League will be an unprecedented milestone for them.
The away team also has a basis for confidence thanks to their impressive away record. They have won all three recent away matches in the Premier League, including two matches against opponents in the same city of London. If they continue their triumphal song at Selhurst Park, Fulham will have for the first time 4 consecutive away wins in the Premier League.
Personnel situation
Chris Richards is still uncertain whether he can play for Crystal Palace after a leg injury in the match against Arsenal. Oliver Glasner cannot confirm whether he can use his favorite three-center-back formation or not.
If Richards does not recover in time, midfielder Jefferson Lerma is likely to retreat to pair with Maxence Lacroix and Marc Guehi, as Palace used in the previous match.
Palace also suffered significant personnel losses. Daniel Munoz (knee), Daichi Kamada (strap), Cheick Doucoure (knee), Chadi Riad (knee) and Caleb Kporha (back) were confirmed absent, while Ismaila Sarr is on international duty with Senegal at the African Cup.
In attack, Jean-Philippe Mateta is trying to regain the feeling of scoring after a 7-match absence. His most recent goal came from a penalty spot in the match against Manchester United on November 30, 2025.
On the other side, Raul Jimenez has been "outgoing" in 2 consecutive matches after a 5-match non-goal streak. Harry Wilson is also reaching his peak when directly contributing to 7 goals in his last six appearances at the tournament (3 goals, 4 assists).
Fulham also has notable absences. Alex Iwobi, Calvin Bassey and Samuel Chukwueze are still on international duty with Nigeria at AFCON. Rodrigo Muniz continues to recover after surgery for a hamstring injury, while Ryan Sessegnon may be absent for the sixth consecutive match due to a similar problem.
Expected lineup:
Crystal Palace: Henderson, Lemar, Lacroix, Guehi, Clyne, Wharton, Hughes, Mitchell, Pino, Nketiah, Mateta.
Leno, Tete, Andersen, Cuenca, Robinson, Lukic, Berge, Wilson, Smith Rowe, Kevin, Jimenez.
The match between Crystal Palace and Fulham takes place at 0:30 AM on January 2 (Vietnam time).
