Crystal Palace hosts Fulham at Selhurst Park on New Year’s Day for their first Premier League match of 2026.
Both teams started the season differently, but they now share 26 points after 18 games, following improvements in their performances.
Fulham has lost their last three matches against Palace, with the latest defeat occurring less than a month ago. However, they won their last match at Selhurst Park, 2-0 in November 2024.
Crystal Palace vs Fulham – Match preview and team news
- Date: Thursday, 1 January 2026
- Kick-off: 5:30pm BST
- Venue: Selhurst Park, London
- Referee: Tony Harrington
- VAR: Neil Davies
- Last meeting: Fulham 1-2 Crystal Palace, Premier League, 7 December 2025
Crystal Palace team news
Chris Richards will miss this match and could also be out for the weekend game against Newcastle United. Eddie Nketiah is also unavailable, but his recovery timeline is unclear.
Daniel Munoz, Daichi Kamada, Cheick Doucoure, Chadi Riad, Rio Cardines, and Caleb Kporha are sidelined, while Ismaila Sarr is participating in AFCON with Senegal.
‘I could be wrong’ – Glasner on Johnson and Guehi transfer talks
Fulham team news
Marco Silva faces no new injury problems but continues to be without Ryan Sessegnon and Rodrigo Muniz due to hamstring injuries.
Alex Iwobi, Calvin Bassey, and Samuel Chukwueze are away competing in AFCON.
Form
Crystal Palace: LDLDL
Palace has not won in their last five matches across all competitions, dealing with injuries and a busy schedule. Their last Premier League victory was against Fulham in early December.
The team’s early momentum has faltered considerably, suffering heavy losses to Man City and Leeds, a narrow defeat to Spurs, and a draw with KuPS. They have effectively lost four of their last five matches, including a penalty loss to Arsenal in the League Cup quarter-finals after a 1-1 draw.
Fulham: LWLWW
Fulham’s performance hasn’t been flawless, but they have shown improvement, finishing 2025 with positive results.
The Whites secured six wins from their last ten matches in all competitions, including two consecutive victories over Nottingham Forest and West Ham during the festive period. Their last three consecutive league wins date back to January 2023.
Predicted lineups
Possible Crystal Palace starting XI: Henderson; Guehi, Lacroix, Lerma; Mitchell, Hughes, Wharton, Clyne; Pino, Devenney; Mateta.
Possible Fulham starting XI: Leno; Robinson, Cuenca, Andersen, Tete; Berge, Lukic; Kevin, Smith Rowe, Wilson; Jiménez.
How to watch Crystal Palace vs Fulham on TV?
The match will be broadcast live in the UK and Republic of Ireland on Sky Sports Premier League. Highlights will be available on the Sky Sports Premier League YouTube channel shortly after the match ends.
Read More – When does the 2026 January transfer window open?
See Also – The longest winless runs in Premier League history
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