Sabasports Match Preview
Premier League: Crystal Palace vs Fulham
Kickoff Time: 2024-11-09 23:00 (HKT)
Source:REUTERS/Andrew Couldridge
Crystal Palace recently secured a victory against Tottenham Hotspur and drew with Wolves, temporarily escaping the relegation zone. Head coach Oliver Glasner has managed to survive the threat of dismissal. Crystal Palace is one of the few teams in the Premier League that employs a three-center-back formation. Glasner aims to increase the number of midfielders to block the opponent’s passes, creating opportunities for interceptions and counterattacks. Unfortunately, the team lacks players who are skilled at passing and counterattacking. Statistically, Crystal Palace averages 21 interceptions per game, ranking fourth in the league; however, they only average 4.1 successful dribbles per game, which is among the lowest in the league. Due to the absence of a midfielder capable of providing quality passes to the forwards, it is challenging for the ball to reach the strikers smoothly. Many times, they create opportunities but fail to capitalize on them, lacking decision-making ability in the threaten area. Additionally, the team’s aerial duel capability is poor. Statistics show that Crystal Palace has lost the most aerial duels in the league, making them particularly vulnerable when facing crosses and corners. With no highlights on either end of the pitch, although they have temporarily escaped the relegation zone, Crystal Palace remains one of the top candidates for relegation.
Under head coach Marco Silva, Fulham’s performance has steadily improved, with only three losses this season, all against teams competing in European competitions. Fulham places great emphasis on high pressing, a tactic that can create numerous attacking opportunities through active movement and interceptions when facing opponents with weaker ball control in defense. During matches, midfield core Emile Smith Rowe provides attacking opportunities for forwards through clever positioning and creative passing; Alex Iwobi and Adama Traore flexibly operate on the flanks, threatening the opponent’s defense with low crosses or cutting inside for shots; center forward Raul Jimenez acts as a pivot, attracting defenders in the box to create shooting opportunities for teammates. It is evident that Fulham excels at utilizing the width of the pitch and has developed a comprehensive attacking strategy. For instance, in their last league match, Fulham attempted 43 crosses, the highest number in any Premier League match this season.
Fulham’s strengths in pressing and crossing make them a team that Crystal Palace fears facing. So it is believed that Fulham can easily defeat Crystal Palace.
Crystal Palace’s Last 5 Games: DWWLL
24-11-03 Wovles 2-2 Crystal Palace
24-10-31 Aston VIlla 1-2 Crystal Palace
24-10-27 Crystal Palace 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur
24-10-22 Nottingham Forest 1-0 Crystal Palace
24-10-05 Crystal Palace 0-1 Liverpool
Fulham’s Last 5 Games: WDLLW
24-11-05 Fulham 2-1 Brentford
24-10-27 Everton 1-1 Fulham
24-10-18 Fulham 1-3 Aston Villa
24-10-05 Manchester City 3-2 Fulham
24-09-28 Nottingham Forest 0-1 Fulham
Head To Head Record:
24-04-27 Fulham 1-1 Crystal Palace
23-09-23 Crystal Palace 0-0 Fulham
23-05-20 Fulham 2-2 Crystal Palace
22-12-26 Crystal Palace 0-3 Fulham
21-02-28 Crystal Palace 0-0 Fulham
Prediction: Fulham to win