Opposition briefing: Everything you need to know about Fulham and Marco Silva

Match previews

21 Dec 2024

Crystal Palace travel to West London to take on Fulham on Saturday, 22nd February (15:00) - so before kick-off, it’s time to get the lowdown on our latest opponents…

Factfile

Manager: Marco Silva
Current Position: 8th
Nickname: The Cottagers
Ground: Craven Cottage
Founded: 1879 (145 years ago)

What’s the story?

In a congested top half of the Premier League table, Fulham have crept up on the race for European qualification, lying just four points off high-flyers Bournemouth in fifth place - a position which could yet end up as a Champions League berth.

The Cottagers have had no respect for the form table in 2024/25. Chelsea were one of the in-form sides in the top-flight, until they were beaten at Stamford Bridge on Boxing Day with Rodrigo Muniz's last-gasp finish grabbing a stunning 2-1 win.

More recently, Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest were also both really on strong runs before coming unstuck against Marco Silva's energetic side.

Having finished 13th last season and invested heavily in reinforcements over summer, there is hope at Craven Cottage that a top-eight finish is within their reach.

They may well end regretting not taking maximum points at home against three teams struggling away from home - Ipswich, Southampton and Manchester United. But equally Silva's side are capable of beating any team on their day.

Both Raul Jiménez and Rodrigo Muniz offer a physical presence up front, while the pace and trickery of Alex Iwobi and Adama Traoré out wide will prove a handful for most full-backs in the league.

The reverse fixture between the two sides at Selhurst Park, saw Fulham ran out 2-0 winners with goals from Emile Smith Rowe and Harry Wilson, with Daichi Kamada sent off for Palace late on. Can the Eagles turn the tables on Saturday?

The boss

This is Marco Silva’s eighth season in the English game, having managed Hull City, Watford and Everton in the past. Fulham's confidence in his project was underlined by their investment in the team over summer, including former Palace defender Joachim Andersen.

Prior to his time in England, Silva delivered silverware by winning the Portuguese Cup at Sporting CP and the Greek Super League with Olympiacos.

Boot in both camps

Brede Hangeland made his name elsewhere in London, but a distinguished spell at Crystal Palace was a fitting finale for a distinguished career.

After a two-year spell with Copenhagen, he joined Fulham in 2008 and became a mainstay of their defence under Roy Hodgson, who would later go on to praise him as one of the best leaders he worked with over a near-50 year career in management.

Helping to complete Fulham’s ‘great escape’, the next season saw the remarkable run to the Europa League final. After leaving Craven Cottage in 2014, Hangeland headed to south London where he made 25 appearances for Crystal Palace, scoring twice – helping the club to a top-half finish under Alan Pardew.

He retired from professional football in 2016, having made 91 appearances for Norway, 48 times as captain.

A stalwart of the early-90s Palace sides, Welsh defender Chris Coleman later played for Fulham making 163 appearances in all competitions. He would go onto manage the Cottagers, becoming the youngest manager in the Premier League at the time.

Record against Palace

Palace won three consecutive games against Fulham between 2018 and 2020 but haven’t earned three points since. Our last victory at the Cottage saw goals from Jairo Riedewald and Wilfried Zaha both net in a 2-1 victory.

Boxing Day in 2022 saw Palace reduced to nine men in a fiery encounter at Selhurst Park, and there were three straight draws following that, including Jefferey Schlupp's phenomenal equaliser at Craven Cottage on our last visit to West London in April 2024. Schlupp's scorching left-footed finish earned the Eagles a point with just three minutes of normal time remaining.

Did you know?

Fulham were founded by worshippers as St Andrew’s Church Sunday School in 1879 – just 18 years after Crystal Palace – and began their days in the local West London League, initially sporting shirts of half red and half white.

They moved to their current Craven Cottage ground in 1896, a stadium steeped in history. The cottage itself was built in 1780 by William Craven, the sixth Baron Craven, and stood on the old hunting grounds of Anne Boleyn; Queen Victoria, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Florence Nightingale are among the famous names reputed to have stayed there.

Match details

Saturday, 22nd February
15:00 GMT
Craven Cottage
Live audio commentary on Palace TV+

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