Fulham vs Crystal Palace preview, team news, h2h: Bassey & Iwobi seek EFL Cup success

Fulham vs Crystal Palace serves up a clash of two Premier League strugglers in the fourth-round of the EFL Cup (Carabao Cup).

Wednesday’s game brings together two Premier League sides whose domestic form tells very different stories heading into the same competition.

Fulham arrive on the back of successive one-nil wins that ended a troubled spell for Arbeloa, while Crystal Palace travel south having lost five of their last eight league matches under Pierre Sage, who was booed off after the most recent of those defeats.

Both clubs have specific reason to want to go further in this competition than recent history allows, which should keep the contest sharper than a routine rotation exercise.

Match radar: Fulham vs Crystal Palace

⚽ Fulham vs Crystal Palace
Competition	Carabao Cup (EFL Cup), Fourth Round
Kickoff	Wednesday, October 28, 2026 — 7:45pm UK time (8:45pm Nigerian time)
Venue	Craven Cottage, London
Where to Watch	Not yet confirmed for Nigerian broadcast
🇳🇬 Alex Iwobi and Calvin Bassey, Fulham’s two Super Eagles internationals, both feature in a heavily rotated squad for this tie.

Fulham vs Crystal Palace form and context: Hosts’ revival meets visitors’ leaky defence

Fulham sit 15th in the Premier League with eight points from eight matches, having won two, drawn two and lost four.

Their last five league results read: a goalless draw away at Liverpool, a one-all draw at home to Manchester United, a 2-1 defeat away at Ipswich Town, then back-to-back one-nil wins, at home to Hull City and away at Coventry City. Those two wins, either side of Ryan Sessegnon’s red card against Hull, pulled Arbeloa out of a six-game winless run in the league.

Crystal Palace sit two places and one point below them, 17th with seven points from eight matches after two wins, one draw and five defeats.

Their recent form has been considerably rougher: a 3-2 defeat at home to Ipswich Town, a goalless draw away at Leeds United, a 3-1 win at home to Nottingham Forest, a five-nil defeat away at Brighton, and a two-nil home defeat to Newcastle United.

Palace have conceded 19 goals in the Premier League alone this season, the joint-highest tally in the division, and 50 across all competitions in the 2026 calendar year, already six more than the whole of 2025 and the most of any Premier League club.

Both sides have negotiated the Carabao Cup comfortably so far. Fulham needed two rounds to reach this stage, beating AFC Wimbledon three-nil at Craven Cottage before winning 3-2 away at West Ham United.

Crystal Palace’s run has included a three-nil win over Middlesbrough at Selhurst Park. Both clubs are aiming to reach the quarter-finals for a third time in four seasons and a third straight season respectively, a specific incentive that should temper any instinct to write this off as a dead rubber for either manager.

Fulham vs Crystal Palace head-to-head: Craven Cottage has turned into Palace territory

The all-time record between these two clubs favours Fulham: 17 wins to 14 from 50 meetings, with 19 draws and an aggregate score of 62 goals to 56.

That picture changes sharply when the venue is narrowed to Craven Cottage alone. Crystal Palace are unbeaten in their last nine visits there in all competitions, winning each of the last four by an aggregate score of 10 goals to three.

The most recent meeting between the clubs came at Craven Cottage on September 5, 2026, when Crystal Palace won 3-2 in the Premier League, with two of the visitors’ three goals coming from left-back Tyrick Mitchell.

Fulham vs Crystal Palace team news and predicted XI: Bassey starts as Iwobi’s rotation risk grows

Ryan Sessegnon remains out for Fulham, serving the second match of a three-match domestic suspension for the straight red card he picked up against Hull City, a ban that applies across all English domestic competitions and therefore covers this tie.

Emile Smith Rowe is a doubt after missing the Coventry win. Crystal Palace have a longer absentee list: Chadi Riad, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Quinten Timber are all out through injury, while captain Dean Henderson remains a major doubt having missed Palace’s last nine matches with an ankle problem.

Both Ismaila Sarr and Jorgen Strand Larsen are doubts after sitting out the Newcastle defeat.

Fulham	Crystal Palace
Ryan Sessegnon — Out (suspended, match two of three) Emile Smith Rowe — Doubt (fitness)	Dean Henderson — Major doubt (ankle) Chadi Riad — Out (knee) Takehiro Tomiyasu — Out (calf) Quinten Timber — Out (thigh) Ismaila Sarr — Doubt (groin) Jorgen Strand Larsen — Doubt (knock)

Against that backdrop, Bassey, a key man for the Cottagers, is expected to start at centre-back for a heavily rotated Fulham side.

Nigeria’s Premier League record maker Iwobi, fresh off his Hull winner, looks the more likely of Fulham’s two Super Eagles internationals to be left out entirely. Arbeloa’s cup selections elsewhere point to a squad built around fringe players such as Kenny Tete, Tom Cairney and Kevin rather than his first-choice attacking options.

Fulham vs Crystal Palace star player comparison: Iwobi versus Mitchell

Iwobi, now an African EPL great, has started every Premier League match he has featured in for Fulham this season and produced his best underlying numbers at the club to date.

Mitchell’s season has been built around a single afternoon: both of his league goals this term came in that September win over Fulham at Craven Cottage, giving him a direct personal stake in this fixture even if, like Iwobi, he is expected to see a reduced role with Chilwell preferred at left wing-back.

Alex Iwobi Midfielder/Winger · Fulham	Stat	Tyrick Mitchell Left-back · Crystal Palace
1	Goals	2
0	Assists	0
7	Appearances	6
7.27	Average Rating	7.19

Fulham vs Crystal Palace managers: Arbeloa and Sage both feel the heat

Arbeloa was appointed in July 2026 on a three-year deal, succeeding Marco Silva, who left for Benfica, and his start was difficult enough that some reports framed his position in terms of a two-game ultimatum before results turned.

The back-to-back one-nil wins over Hull and Coventry have eased that pressure, at least for now, and represent his first real platform since taking over.

Sage took charge at Crystal Palace in June 2026 on a three-year deal, replacing Oliver Glasner, who departed after winning the FA Cup, the Community Shield and the UEFA Conference League in his time at Selhurst Park.

That is an unusually high bar to clear, and Sage has not cleared it so far this season. He was booed off after Palace’s fifth Premier League defeat in eight matches, against Newcastle United, with reports already naming a possible successor if results do not improve.

Fulham vs Crystal Palace tactical preview

Fulham’s likely shape is a 4-2-3-1, with Charles and Berge screening a back four of Tete, Andersen, Bassey and Robinson, and Kevin, King and Palacios working off Muniz up front.

Crystal Palace’s predicted side points to a back three of Lerma, Ahanor and Richards, with Mingueza and Chilwell as wing-backs either side of Wharton and Hughes, and McNeil and Guessand supporting Nketiah.

Palace’s defensive record this season suggests the space to attack will be there if Fulham’s front players can find it, particularly in the channels either wing-back vacates when pushing on.

Fulham’s own rotated full-backs, Tete and Robinson, will have to cope with McNeil and Guessand running at them from Palace’s advanced positions, which is where the game is likely to be decided.

Fulham vs Crystal Palace: The Naija slip

Fulham vs Crystal Palace score prediction

🔮 Fulham 2 – 1 Crystal Palace

Fulham’s rotated attack should have enough against a defence that has leaked goals all season, though Palace’s recent record at this ground keeps them in it until late. Likely scorers: Rodrigo Muniz for Fulham, Eddie Nketiah for Crystal Palace.