Fulham vs Crystal Palace Prediction & Preview - EFL Cup

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Fulham vs Crystal Palace prediction and preview, EFL Cup

Fulham vs Crystal Palace prediction, team news and form for the EFL Cup fourth round tie at Craven Cottage on Wednesday 28 October 2026.

Crystal Palace lost 0-5 away to Brighton & Hove Albion on 18 October, 10 days before they play Fulham in the EFL Cup at Craven Cottage in London on Wednesday, 28 October 2026, kick-off 19:45 GMT. That afternoon was the clearest picture yet of a defence that has stopped functioning, and it is the thing that decides this tie. Fulham have kept three clean sheets in their last six. Palace have shipped 13 goals in theirs. Full details are on the Fulham vs Crystal Palace match page.

Crystal Palace already won at Craven Cottage this season

These two met on 5 September 2026, 53 days before this tie, and Palace won 2-3 at Fulham in the Premier League. So the visitors have a recent template for this ground and this opponent.

The problem is almost everything after it. Palace have won 1, drawn 2 and lost 3 of their last six for 5 points, conceding two or more in four of them. They drew 2-2 away to Beşiktaş JK in the UEFA Europa League on 22 October, six days before this match, and before that lost 2-3 away to Olympique Lyonnais. The one genuinely good night was a 3-1 home win over Nottingham Forest on 11 October. They have not won any of their last four away games.

Fulham keep winning 1-0

Fulham's recent football is narrow and functional, and it works. They won 1-0 away to Coventry City on 24 October, four days before this tie, having won 1-0 at home to Hull City the week before. Three wins, two draws and one defeat in six, 11 points, seven scored and five conceded.

They are also not scoring freely: two or more goals in only one of those six. That one was the 3-2 win away to West Ham United in the EFL Cup on 15 September that put them in this round. Their home record over the same stretch is one win in two, which is the softest number Palace have to aim at.

Fulham vs Crystal Palace team news

Fulham head coach Alvaro Arbeloa said he had a fully fit squad before the Coventry trip, with Emile Smith Rowe over the issue that kept him out and Hugo Larsson recovered from a groin problem, while Ryan Sessegnon began a three-match ban for his red card against Hull (Fantasy Football Scout, Premier Fantasy Tools). Crystal Palace head coach Pierre Sage is without Takehiro Tomiyasu (calf), Chadi Riad (knee) and Quinten Timber (thigh), with Dean Henderson (foot) and Jørgen Strand Larsen facing late checks, and Jean-Philippe Mateta back and fit (The Football Faithful). Sky Sports reported on 22 October that chairman Steve Parish had given Sage the Beşiktaş and Newcastle United games to improve the team defensively.

Fulham vs Crystal Palace prediction

Fulham should beat Crystal Palace in the EFL Cup fourth round at Craven Cottage, and the margin depends entirely on whether Fulham can score more than once. Palace conceded two or more in four of their last six, which is enough to lose a tie against a side that has kept three clean sheets in the same number of games. The counter is September's 2-3 at this ground, and Palace have scored two or more in three of their last six, so a clean Fulham night is not the likely shape. Call it a Fulham win with Palace on the board.

Our prediction: Fulham 2-1 Crystal Palace

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You can call the score on this one for free on the Fulham vs Crystal Palace prediction page, alongside the rest of the week's ties on the live match list. Points go straight onto the weekly leaderboard, which resets every week with cash prizes on it. New to the football prediction game? The how to play guide covers scoring in a couple of minutes, and the prizes page has the current figures.

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