Top-half and title twists: everything you need to know about Fulham

Match previews

26 Feb 2024

Crystal Palace head to Craven Cottage to take on Fulham on Saturday, 27th April (15:00 BST) - so before kick-off, it’s time to get the lowdown on our latest opponents…

Factfile

Manager: Marco Silva
Current Position: 13th
Nickname: The Cottagers
Ground: Craven Cottage
Founded: 1879 (145 years ago)

What’s the story?

In a quirk of fate, Fulham's last three fixtures in the Premier League have been the same as Crystal Palace's: Newcastle United, West Ham United and Liverpool. Although the Eagles have come away with three wins, Fulham have struggled, beating West Ham at the London Stadium but falling to defeat at Craven Cottage to both Newcastle and Liverpool.

Now preparing for a third home game in four in the Premier League, Marco Silva's side are hoping to rectify inconsistent recent form to push for a place in the top-half of the table, with just four games to go.

They sit just three points behind Bournemouth in 10th, and just five off Chelsea in 9th, so the potential for a strong end to the campaign could reap real rewards.

Fulham came close to silverware this season, reaching the semi-finals of the League Cup and losing out narrowly to Liverpool for a place at Wembley. They have also earned big results in the league, beating Arsenal at Craven Cottage and earning a draw at the Emirates Stadium

They face Manchester City and Luton Town in their final two games of the season, so could yet have a big say in both the destination of the title and the result of the relegation battle.

The boss

Marco Silva’s confidence in his Fulham project was underlined when he turned down a series of enormously lucrative approaches from Saudi Arabia last summer,

This is his seventh season in the English game, having managed Hull City, Watford and Everton in the past.

Boot in both camps

Brede Hangeland made his name elsewhere in London, but a distinguished spell at Crystal Palace was a fitting finale for a distinguished career.

After a two-year spell with Copenhagen, he joined Fulham in 2008 and became a mainstay of their defence under Roy Hodgson, who would later go on to praise him as one of the best leaders he worked with over a near-50 year career in management.

Helping to complete Fulham’s ‘great escape’, the next season saw the remarkable run to the Europa League final.

After leaving Craven Cottage in 2014, Hangeland headed to south London where he made 25 appearances for Crystal Palace, scoring twice – helping the club to a top-half finish under Alan Pardew.

He retired from professional football in 2016, having made 91 appearances for Norway, 48 times as captain.

Record against Palace

Palace won three consecutive games against Fulham between 2018 and 2020 but haven’t earned three points since.

The two sides played out a goalless draw at Selhurst Park in September, the second goalless draw in the last four games between the two sides.

Boxing Day last season saw Palace reduced to nine men in a fiery encounter at Selhurst Park, while sunnier skies prevailed in May at Craven Cottage as Joel Ward’s late equaliser saw the Eagles claim a point.

Did you know?

Fulham were founded by worshippers as St Andrew’s Church Sunday School in 1879 – just 18 years after Crystal Palace – and began their days in the local West London League, initially sporting shirts of half red and half white.

They moved to their current Craven Cottage ground in 1896, a stadium steeped in history. The cottage itself was built in 1780 by William Craven, the sixth Baron Craven, and stood on the old hunting grounds of Anne Boleyn; Queen Victoria, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Florence Nightingale are among the famous names reputed to have stayed there.

Match details

Saturday, 27th April
15:00 BST
Selhurst Park
Live audio commentary on Palace TV+

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