Crystal Palace vs Nottingham Forest Preview
- Draw or Palace win
- Over 2.5 goals
Eagles flying high from Wembley, but little left to play for
Crystal Palace return to Selhurst Park after their emphatic 3-0 FA Cup semi-final win over Aston Villa, which secured their first final appearance since the 2015/16 season. Despite the Wembley high, the remainder of their Premier League campaign lacks real stakes, with a top-half finish the most realistic remaining target.
However, Palace’s recent record against Nottingham Forest leaves much to be desired. They’ve won only one of the last 14 league H2Hs (D6, L7), including an eight-match winless stretch (D5, L3). Each of the last three meetings at Selhurst Park ended in a draw, and with Palace’s last two league matches also finishing level, another stalemate could be on the cards.
Forest’s top-five grip slipping
Nottingham Forest’s Champions League qualification hopes have taken a hit. A 2-0 defeat to Brentford in midweek dropped them out of the Premier League’s top five for the first time since matchday 15. It was their fourth loss in five competitive matches (W1), a run that includes FA Cup disappointment at the hands of Manchester City.
Their only victory during that slump came away at Tottenham (2-1), and a trip on the road might again offer hope. Forest have won nine Premier League away games this season (D2, L6), a tally bettered only by Liverpool. Reaching double digits in away wins would be a rare feat—only three times in their top-flight history have they managed 10+ in a season, and each time they finished inside the top five.
Players to watch
Ismaïla Sarr (Crystal Palace)
Scored a brace at Wembley last weekend and now has nine of his last ten club goals against teams starting the round in the top half of the table.
Chris Wood (Nottingham Forest)
Leads Forest with nine away league goals this season. No Forest player has ever scored 10+ away goals in a single Premier League campaign.
Hot stat
Crystal Palace have won just three of their last 24 Premier League matches played on a Monday (D9, L12).
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Crystal Palace v Nott’m Forest, 2024/25 | Premier League