A spot in the FA Cup semi-finals will be on the line when Fulham and Crystal Palace face off in the quarter-final tie at Craven Cottage on Saturday.
The 2024/25 FA Cup resumes this week with the quarter-finals, with Saturday and Sunday splitting the four matches. The action on Saturday will start with Fulham vs Crystal Palace at Craven Cottage, with a spot in the semi-finals up for grabs.
Fulham qualified for the FA Cup quarter-finals by beating Manchester United on penalties in the fifth round. They had beaten Watford and Wigan Athletic in the previous stages. However, their overall form has been inconsistent, and the Cottagers have struggled to stitch long winning runs.
On the other hand, Crystal Palace reached the FA Cup quarter-finals by beating Stockport County, Doncaster Rovers, and Millwall in the previous rounds. The Eagles have been one of the most in-form teams in England, and they are on a four-match winning run, with European qualification possible.
Fulham and Crystal Palace have faced off twice this season, with both teams clinching a 2-0 win away from home in their Premier League matches. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Fulham
Marco Silva has greeted a positive update on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Fulham manager will be bereft of the services of only three first-team players vs Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Sasa Lukic is finally available after serving a two-game ban. So, Kenny Tete (knee), Harry Wilson (foot), and Reiss Nelson (thigh) are the only players on the sidelines. While Silva was sweating over Antonee Robinson’s fitness, the USMNT international should be fit and available to take on Crystal Palace.
Bernd Leno will take his spot between the sticks, with Fulham lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Crystal Palace on Saturday. The backline should feature Timothy Castagne, Joachim Andersen, Calvin Bassey, and Antonee Robinson.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Sander Berge and the returning Sasa Lukic in the double pivot. Andreas Pereira should reprise the no. 10 role, considering he has created more chances than any other player in this season’s FA Cup (18). Finally, Rodrigo Muniz will lead the line for Fulham against Crystal Palace, with Alex Iwobi and Adama Traore being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Leno; Castagne, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson; Berge, Lukic; Traore, Pereira, Iwobi; Muniz
Crystal Palace
Like his counterpart in the Fulham dugout, Oliver Glasner has greeted a positive update on the team news front ahead of the trip to Craven Cottage. The Crystal Palace manager will be without three first-team players on Saturday.
Jean-Philippe Mateta is fit and available after sufficiently recovering from a head injury he sustained in the FA Cup fifth-round tie against Millwall. Meanwhile, Will Hughes will serve his suspension in the Premier League and can take on Crystal Palace. So, Joel Ward (calf), Chadi Riad (knee), and Cheick Doucoure (knee) are the only players on the sidelines.
Matt Turner should take his spot between the sticks instead of Dean Henderson, with Crystal Palace lining up in a 3-4-2-1 formation in front of him vs Fulham on Saturday. The central defensive unit should feature Chris Richards, Marc Guehi, and Maxence Lacroix. Daniel Munoz and Tyrick Mitchell are automatic picks as the two wing-backs.
The wide duo will provide width in the final third and support the centre-backs during the defensive phases. As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Adam Wharton and Jefferson Lerma. Finally, the returning Jean-Philippe Mateta will spearhead the Crystal Palace attack against Fulham, with Eberechi Eze and Ismaila Sarr supporting him in the offensive third.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Turner; Richards, Guehi, Lacroix; Munoz, Wharton, Lerma, Mitchell; Eze, Sarr; Mateta
Key Stats
Crystal Palace are unbeaten in their last six away games vs Fulham (W3 D3). The Eagles have already won 2-0 at Craven Cottage in the Premier League this season. The only side they have beaten twice on the road in a single campaign is Southampton in 1964/65. Meanwhile, Saturday’s clash will be the second FA Cup meeting between the two London clubs, with the previous clash coming in February 1907.
Fulham progressed from all four FA Cup quarter-final ties between 1957/58 and 2001/02. However, the Cottagers have since been eliminated in their last four appearances at this stage (2003/04, 2008/09, 2009/10 and 2022/23).
Crystal Palace have progressed from four of their last five FA Cup quarter-final ties, failing only in 2018/19 against Watford in this run.
Fulham eliminated holders Manchester United in the fifth round, but they have not knocked out Premier League opposition in successive rounds of the FA Cup since the 2002/03 season (Birmingham City and Charlton Athletic).
Crystal Palace have progressed from only two of their last ten FA Cup ties against fellow Premier League opponents, doing so against Tottenham Hotspur (2018/19 fourth round) and Everton (2021/22 quarter-final).
Player to Watch
Daniel Munoz
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While Andreas Pereira, Alex Iwobi, and Jean-Philippe Mateta were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Daniel Munoz as our Player to Watch for Saturday’s FA Cup clash between Fulham and Crystal Palace.
The in-demand Colombian international is Crystal Palace’s top scorer in the FA Cup this season with two goals. He also scored the Eagles’ second strike in their 2-0 win at Fulham in the Premier League last month. So, expect the in-form wing-back to be Oliver Glasner’s go-to man to wreak havoc from the right flank this weekend.
Prediction
Fulham 1-2 Crystal Palace
Fulham might not have been consistent heading into the FA Cup quarter-final clash with Crystal Palace. However, they have two big wins in their kitty, as they overcame Manchester United in the fifth round and beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 before the international break. On the other hand, Crystal Palace’s winning run stretched to four games two weeks ago.
So, there might not be much to separate the two teams this weekend, especially considering the setting and what is on the line. However, Crystal Palace’s recent record at Craven Cottage gives the away side the edge, and they might eke a narrow victory. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Oliver Glasner and his charges.