Crystal Palace vs Fulham prediction 23.09.2023

• Competition: Premier League
• Date: Saturday, 23rd September 2023
• Kickoff: 15:00 UK / 16:00 CEST
• Venue: Selhurst Park (London)

Crystal Palace arrived in the Premier League in the 2013/14 season and were between 10th and 15th place every time. Still, even though The Eagles were in the lower part of the league's table, they were not too close to being relegated. Last season, they finished 11th above some good teams like Chelsea and West Ham. The current season started OK for them as they are in 9th place with seven points after five rounds. 

Fulham moved between the Championship and the Premier League in recent years. However, The Cottagers had an excellent two seasons. In 2021/22, they dominantly won the Championship and, in the following season, finished 10th in the Premier League with 52 points, nine points away from European spots. The Cottagers started this season well by winning seven points in five rounds and knocking out Tottenham in the Carabao Cup. 

Crystal Palace vs Fulham pick: Both teams to score

Crystal Palace scored at least a goal in five of the first six matches this season. The only match were they failed to score was vs Arsenal, where they had 14 goal attempts and 0.9 xG, so we could easily see a goal in that match, too. In recent three games, we have seen only high-scoring games from them with both teams scoring. In that three-game period, the Eagles scored eight and allowed seven goals (five goals per game), even allowing two goals vs Plymouth in the Carabao Cup. 

Just like Crystal Palace, Fulham also just once failed to score a goal in six games this season. On the other hand, they did have two clean sheets, but objectively, they were simply lucky, and it was a miracle they did not concede goals. One of those games was against Everton, where Everton had 3.09 xG, and the second one was against Luton Town, which had 1.35 xG. Having watched both of those games, it is evident that Fulham are not a strong defensive team, and these two clean sheets give a false perspective about them being a good defensive team. On the other hand, the offense should not be a problem as they scored against Manchester City, Tottenham and two against Arsenal, so it is fair to expect a goal vs Crystal Palace, which have been struggling defensively in recent matches. 

The previous h2h game finished with a 2:2, and we might see another high-scoring game with both teams scoring.