Crystal Palace face a significant test at Selhurst Park on Sunday when former manager Oliver Glasner returns with Nottingham Forest, as both teams look to turn encouraging signs into a much-needed result.
Glasner left Palace this summer after a successful two-year spell that brought the club the FA Cup, Community Shield and Conference League. His Forest side have made an uneven start to the campaign, collecting five points from their opening five league matches and sitting 13th in the Premier League.
Forest suffered a 1-0 defeat to Coventry City before the extended international break, but Glasner believes his team’s defensive consistency and attacking volume provide reasons for optimism. He has called for greater quality in their shooting and for more clear-cut chances, while also highlighting Forest’s strong away record in 2026.
The visitors are only two places and one point above Palace, who drew 0-0 at Leeds United in their final match before the break. Pierre Sage’s team have won just one of their last 12 Premier League games, while they have also lost both of their league fixtures at Selhurst Park this season. A third consecutive home defeat would match a run previously recorded by the club in 1997-98, 2004-05 and 2017-18.
There is also a difficult recent record between the sides for Palace to overcome. The Eagles have never beaten Forest in 12 Premier League meetings, drawing eight and losing four, while Forest have lost only once in their last 17 league games against Palace. Morgan Gibbs-White has contributed either a goal or an assist in each of Forest’s last eight Premier League away matches.
The match begins a demanding run for Palace, who face Lyon in the Europa League after the Forest fixture before travelling to Brighton on October 18. Sage has acknowledged the added atmosphere around Glasner’s return and Daniel Munoz’s departure, while expressing his respect for the former Palace boss and urging the home support to give the team extra backing.
