EPL Preview: Dwight Gayle will be key as Crystal Palace must beat Fulham to stop the rot

Crystal Palace – Fulham

Date: Monday 21st October

Venue: Selhurst Park

KO: 20:00

Dwight Gayle

One of the season’s first six-pointers, Ian Holloway’s Crystal Palace will be aiming to kick-start their season once more after a four game losing streak, the latest coming in a 3-1 defeat to Liverpool, while Martin Jol’s Fulham are also struggling, hovering just above the relegation zone in 17th, but are seeking a second straight win after a 1-0 victory over Stoke last time out.

Team News:

Crystal Palace

The Eagles have Kagisho Dikgacoi and Jonny Williams on the long-term injury list but a late fitness test is mooted for Wales defender Danny Gabbidon who could feature after an hamstring injury.

Fulham

The Cottagers have several players facing fitness check-ups before the game, with Dimitar Berbatov, Scott Parker and Aaron Hughes all in contention. Ashkan Dejagah and Maarten Stekelenburg are also close to returning from injury.

Recent Form:

Crystal Palace have had an horrid start to the season, losing six of their seven games so far with just one win – a 3-1 victory over fellow strugglers Sunderland.

Holloway is desperately trying to turn the ship around and he will see a home match against Fulham – who aren’t in great form themselves – as a perfect opportunity to record their second win of the season.

A defeat however, could leave them seven points adrift of safety at this early stage of the campaign if results elsewhere don’t go their way.

Fulham aren’t doing much better, although a win would lift Martin Jol’s side to midtable after their 1-0 victory over Stoke City before the international break.

Their form has been patchy so far but the Cottagers will be confident of taking a win against a hapless Palace side in the first fixture between the two London sides for eight years. Defeat however, will see their opponents close the gap on them to just one point.

Players to Watch:

Crystal Palace – Dwight Gayle

With The Eagles low on attacking threat, it is up to the 22-year-old to provide the goals alongside Moroccan striker Marouane Chamakh and the 23-year-old has delivered so far with two goals against Sunderland and Liverpool.

Playing non-league football as little as two years ago, the striker is still adapting to the rigours of top-flight football with a 33% shot accuracy rate so far, but he carries a bigger threat than his contemporaries in Chamakh and Cameron Jerome.

Palace will still have a tough task putting a goal past Fulham’s defence having scored just once in the past four games but the Cottagers have conceded nine times in the past seven games, so goals could be in store in the fixture. Gayle, provided he starts, is as likely as anyone to snatch a goal for the home side and Holloway will be hoping that they can keep it tight in defence to make the most of it.

Fulham – Scott Parker

Martin Jol will be crossing his fingers for the return of veteran midfielder Scott Parker – subject to a late fitness test – for their visit to Selhurst Park. The combative central midfielder has already established himself as a key component of the Fulham engine room and will be vital to their cause on Monday with his drive and composure in the middle of the park.

With an 89% pass accuracy, Parker is capable of pulling the strings in midfield and with a 100% tackle success rate, he still has the ability to come out on top in a midfield battle. Expect the former England international to stamp his authority on the game against the likes of Mile Jedinak and Stuart O’Keefe.

Prediction

This is a real six-pointer at such an early stage of the season, and a win for either side will be a huge boost to their confidence going forward. However, Fulham have quality in abundance and if the likes of Scott Parker and Dimitar Berbatov overcome injury to start the game, they should prove to be too much for Crystal Palace to handle.

Crystal Palace 0-2 Fulham

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