Fulham vs Crystal Palace Predictions

• Fulham failed to register a shot on target in defeat at Sunderland
• Crystal Palace troubled the target only once in their home loss to Manchester City
• Josh King was a scorer in Fulham’s opening match of the season against Chelsea

Testing summer for London duo

Fulham and Crystal Palace will be going in search of their first Premier League points of the season when they meet at Craven Cottage on Saturday.

It has been a summer of upheaval for both clubs, with key personnel leaving on and off the pitch, and their respective early-season form has reflected that, with both teams starting with back-to-back league defeats.

A busy transfer deadline day means there could be plenty of new faces on show for both teams on Saturday, but this may be a low-quality London derby between two sides desperate to get off the mark.

Avoiding defeat may be the primary objective

Fulham head coach Alvaro Arbeloa did not hold back in his assessment of his side’s performance at Sunderland last weekend, questioning their attitude, so he will be expecting a response back on home soil.

However, the Cottagers have a poor recent record against Palace, winning only two of their last 13 Premier League meetings with the Eagles, with their last home victory in the fixture coming on New Year’s Day 2005.

That should give Palace hope but the Eagles went down with a whimper against Manchester City last weekend and have lost a whole host of key players over the summer, while the likes of Ismaila Sarr and Jean-Philippe Mateta have remained but appear unhappy at Selhurst Park.

Fulham lacked a cutting edge against Sunderland, failing to register a shot on target, while Palace only managed one in their defeat to City, so with confidence low in both camps, a lack of goals is expected on Saturday.

Five of the last seven meetings have featured fewer than three goals and that run includes a pair of 1-1 draws. A point would at least give both sides something to build on, with the fear of losing perhaps outweighing the desire to go all out for the win.

King could offer rare moment of quality

One man that could provide a moment of quality on Saturday is Fulham’s Josh King, who was one of their brighter performers against Sunderland and was on the scoresheet in their league opener with Chelsea.

At just 19, King has a bright future ahead of him and he is currently keeping Emile Smith Rowe out of the Fulham starting XI.

This could be a breakout season for the England under-21 international, who can add to his burgeoning reputation by getting on the scoresheet at Craven Cottage.