Crystal Palace head to Craven Cottage on Wednesday evening for an EFL Cup fourth-round tie against Fulham, with kick-off scheduled for 7.45pm GMT. The Eagles return to the ground after winning 3-2 there in the Premier League at the start of September, but their recent form has made them underdogs in this latest meeting.
Palace have won only one of their last six matches and have suffered consecutive Premier League defeats without scoring. Those results have left them 17th in the table, just one point above the relegation zone. The club’s domestic struggles have also been accompanied by reports that head coach Pierre Sage could be replaced by Sean Dyche.
The EFL Cup appears to be a lower priority for Palace this season, particularly with the Eagles having collected four points from their opening three Europa League matches. The preview expects Sage to rotate his side, while also noting that Palace have failed to keep a clean sheet in five attempts.
Fulham are being backed to progress after consecutive victories and clean sheets against Coventry City and Hull City. The Cottagers have lost just once in their last six matches and are priced at 17/20 for victory, with a win taking them into the quarter-finals for the third time in four seasons.
Rodrigo Muniz is another selection at 10/11 to score. The Fulham striker has started both of the club’s EFL Cup matches this season, scoring against AFC Wimbledon and West Ham United, and has registered eight shots across those appearances. He is expected to come into the starting XI again, potentially replacing Gonzalo Garcia.
Jefferson Lerma is also identified as a player to watch in the cards market. The Colombian midfielder was not included in Palace’s Europa League squad and has played a limited role under Sage. He has collected 26 bookings in 96 top-flight appearances since joining Palace in 2023, and is priced at 9/4 to be cautioned against Fulham. The match will be shown on Sky Sports+.
