Fulham vs Crystal Palace head to head & Predictions (07 Dec)

Fulham return to the Cottage with a clear test of their mettle: can they turn an eye-catching, chaotic fightback against Manchester City into points against a disciplined, upwardly mobile Crystal Palace? The BBC framed City’s 5-4 escape as “chaos at the Cottage,” but the other half of that story is Fulham’s punch and persistence. Palace, meanwhile, arrive with the quiet authority of a side that knows how to manage games. A single moment from Daniel Munoz at Burnley was enough for three points in midweek, and manager Oliver Glasner praised his team’s “togetherness” afterwards. This one has the feel of a derby with subplots: early Fulham energy versus Palace’s patience after the hour.

Form guide and season snapshot

There is a gap between these teams right now. Fulham have 17 points from 14 matches and a negative goal difference, while Palace sit fifth with a tidy defensive record and the look of a group comfortable in tight games. The last-10 trend data also tilts towards Palace’s control: Fulham’s matches have been looser, with higher concession on average; Palace’s baseline is more stable.

Fulham’s last-10 profile shows more goals both ways; Palace’s shows fewer conceded and more clean sheets in the same span. For the hosts, the takeaway is simple: keep the front-foot verve from that City rollercoaster, but protect the spaces that Palace typically expose late on.

Head-to-head: Palace’s recent steel at the Cottage

The head-to-head ledger leans Palace in the more recent sample, with a higher win share and more clean sheets. The last two meetings at Craven Cottage in 2025 ended with Palace winning to nil, which is more than a quirk: it reflects the way they smother Fulham’s rhythm and then punish transitions.

Across the broader head-to-head summary, Palace show more wins (40%) than Fulham (20%), with Palace also producing more clean sheets in the sample. That doesn’t guarantee a repeat, but it sets the tone: if the game is strangled into a low-event contest, the visitors have historically been comfortable.

What the numbers say: fast starts vs late control

Fulham’s attacking profile is front-loaded. Their most productive window this season is the opening quarter-hour, and across their last five matches they have combined a higher shot volume with sharper conversion. Palace’s spikes come after the interval: their top window this season is 61–75 minutes, and their league data points to solid game management — a higher “scored first” share and longer intervals before conceding.

The implication is straightforward: Fulham will want to land early punches and stretch Palace’s back line before Glasner’s structure tightens. Conversely, Palace tend to be more decisive after the break — and they arrive on the back of a clean sheet and a 1-0 win at Turf Moor, where Glasner’s “togetherness” line felt apt rather than rhetorical.

Model view and match scenarios

Kickwie’s model edges toward Palace in a balanced market, with a tilt towards both teams scoring despite a slight lean to the under on goals. That contradiction fits the matchup: Fulham create enough to trouble anyone, but Palace don’t concede many. For those tracking the wider weekend picture and looking for premier league betting tips, the numbers here are a reminder that styles can collide in awkward ways.

Two clear scenarios emerge. If Fulham strike early — in line with their 0–15 trend — the Cottage can turn this into a high-wire contest, the sort that rattled City. A home win would calm any mid-table drift and validate the attacking uptick seen in recent weeks. If Palace keep it level to the hour, they have the habits and history to suffocate the game and take it late; another controlled result would harden the sense that this group is a genuine top-five outfit under Glasner. Either way, the first 20 minutes may tell you most of what you need to know.