The final London derby of the 2022-23 Premier League season takes place at Craven Cottage on Saturday afternoon, as Fulham and Crystal Palace continue to amble towards the finish line.
Both sides ran out convincing 2-0 winners in their most recent contests, as Marco Silva's men relegated Southampton while the Eagles strolled past Bournemouth on their own patch.
Match preview
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Making a welcome return from his lengthy suspension in time for Fulham's trip to St Mary's, Cottagers talisman Aleksandar Mitrovic made his presence felt in a second-half cameo, as Silva's side put the final nail in Southampton's relegation coffin.
Mitrovic's deputy Carlos Vinicius had already drawn first blood three minutes after the restart prior to Mitrovic's header, officially condemning Southampton to Championship football for the 2023-24 season and keeping Fulham mathematically in the hunt for European football.
Lying smack-bang in the middle of the table in 10th place, Fulham have a six-point deficit to make up to seventh-placed Tottenham Hotspur with two games left to play, while Aston Villa hold an identical buffer over the Cottagers, whose chances of forcing their way into seventh spot are therefore slim to none.
While Silva's men should fall short in the continental chase - especially as a trek to Manchester United awaits on May 28 - the Cottagers can reflect fondly on a satisfactory campaign, even if eight defeats from their last 12 have seen Fulham end on a somewhat sour note.
However, the hosts are seeking a third successive Premier League success in the wake of triumphs over Southampton and their eight-goal extravaganza with Leicester City, and a new club record is on the line for the Cottagers, who could win four London derbies in a single top-flight season for the first time ever.
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While Fulham were busy dominating one coastal outfit in gameweek 36, Crystal Palace replicated such success when Bournemouth paid a visit to Selhurst Park, as the Cherries became the latest victims of an inspired Eberechi Eze.
The 24-year-old's ninth and 10th goals of the Premier League season arrived last weekend, as he prodded home a simple finish before picking out the top corner from range in the second half, extending both his and the Eagles' purple patch with Roy Hodgson at the helm.
Before holding showdown talks with the 75-year-old veteran over his future - having possibly been impressed enough to keep Hodgson in charge beyond the end of the season - Palace can kick their feet up for their closing fixtures with Fulham and Nottingham Forest, comfortably sitting 12th in the standings and level on points with 11th-placed Chelsea, the only side that they can still usurp.
However, amid all the Selhurst Park jubilation, Palace's recent exploits on the road have left a lot to be desired; the Eagles have lost back-to-back away matches against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur without scoring and have only won twice on rival turf in 2023, although both of those triumphs came under Hodgson.
The Eagles have also been put to the sword in their final away game of the past three seasons and were trounced 3-0 by Fulham on Boxing Day, but the Cottagers have never done a Premier League double over Palace, who are seeking a third consecutive win at Craven Cottage this weekend.
Team News
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Fulham head coach Silva should be working with the same core of players from the trip to Southampton, where no new faces entered the treatment room, but Andreas Pereira (ankle), Tim Ream (arm) and Layvin Kurzawa (knee) are absent again.
Daniel James has also been forced to miss the Cottagers' last two matches with a thigh issue and will need a once-over ahead of Saturday's game, where Silva is facing quite the selection quandary in the number nine position.
With three goals from his last four Premier League games - as many as in his previous 32 - Vinicius will not easily cede his place to top scorer Mitrovic, but the Serbian will expect to start his side's final home match of the campaign.
While Fulham have welcomed back arguably their most influential attacker, Palace have lost theirs, as Wilfried Zaha suffered a "worrying" thigh injury in the win over Bournemouth and is not expected to take to the field again this season.
Nathan Ferguson (muscle), Luka Milivojevic (unspecified) and James Tomkins (calf) also take up beds in the infirmary, while Jeffrey Schlupp missed the win over Bournemouth with a knock and is now out for personal reasons. Naouirou Ahamada was fit enough to make the bench, though.
The former Stuttgart man could be among several fringe players considered for starts with nothing but pride on the line, but Hodgson may save the bulk of his alterations for the final day of the season, and Odsonne Edouard should be drafted in to cover for the unavailable Zaha.
Fulham possible starting lineup:
Leno; Tete, Diop, Adarabioyo, Robinson; Palhinha, Reed; Wilson, Cairney, Willian; Mitrovic
Crystal Palace possible starting lineup:
Johnstone; Ward, Andersen, Guehi, Mitchell; Hughes, Doucoure, Eze; Olise, Edouard, Ayew
We say: Fulham 2-1 Crystal Palace
Despite Zaha's undeniable importance to the Palace attack, Hodgson's troops coped just fine without the Ivorian during his previous absence with a groin injury, and Leicester proved a couple of weeks ago that Silva's men can still be prone to a defensive lapse or two.
The Eagles' attacking frailties on the road do not make for pleasant reading, though, and a Fulham side who are just starting to rediscover that winning feeling should come up trumps in the campaign's final capital clash.
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Top tip
Ben Knapton
