Fulham vs. Crystal Palace - FA Cup Quarterfinal

The biggest match of the year takes place on Saturday when Fulham hosts Crystal Palace in the quarterfinal of the FA Cup. At stake is a trip to Wembley for a semi-final matchup. For you folks on the left coast it will be an early morning. Kickoff is at 8:15 EDT on ESPN+.

Most of the eight teams remaining in the FA Cup are looking at this season as possibly their best chance to bring home the trophey. Of the "big" teams only Manchester City remains - and they are not the powerhouse that they had been in the past, but this is also the only thing left for them to win this year. For the others, Fulham, Palace, Brighton, Forest, Preston, Villa, and Bournemouth, things feel like they are lined up for something great to happen. Of course, only one of those teams can actually win the whole thing.

I don't think this is a great matchup for Fulham. Palace has been in very good form in 2025, they beat Fulham handily just a few weeks ago, and Fulham are generally terrible after international breaks. Fulham will need to go against the prevailing trends if they want a win.

Mateta will be back for Palace after the terrible kick to the face he suffered in their FA Cup match against Millwall. Other than the normal absences of Tete, Wilson, and Nelson, Fulham should have a full squad. Maybe we get to see Tete on the bench? Silva will have some interesting choices to make. Raul had a great international break, but Muniz looked good before the break. Muniz is an impact sub, but Raul would be invaluable in a shootout. So who gets the start and who comes on as a sub? Then there are the wings. I don't think Iwobi or Smith Rowe have looked good recently, so maybe a different starting lineup with Willian on the left and Traore on the right? If Fulham are behind how do you get Sessegnon on? He makes things happen so he needs to be part of the plan for subs.

This match could easily go for either team. Fulham at their best walk away with this one. But if they produce ZERO shots on target like they did against Palace in February... well that makes it very difficult to get a win.

 

I'm pumped for this one. I've got the alarm set already so I can get to the pub for kickoff.

 

Woof. What a let down.

 

Palace can finish, Fulham can not. If Fulham could have put those early chances away, it would have been Fulham walking away with a 3 - o win. Instead, they scuffed their shots, went wide, and wasted their opening advantage. Meanwhile Eze gets a slight, tiny, razor-thin, view of goal and puts away. The better team won. If Fulham could finish, they might have been the better team.

 

Yes, and yes. Fulham's finishing has been the area lacking all season. They can knock it around all over the park, but the final edge goes missing. And Fulham didn't have a player available yesterday, like Eze, that can change things on their own. I believed Raul's hot form should have placed him in the starting 11 but I have to assume he was too knackered. It seemed to me nobody at Fulham stepped up to seize the moment, but I think Palace's stifling defense and confidence in winning killed off anything Fulham tried to accomplish...so naturally it looks like Fulham aren't in it but I don't think that was the case. And there was no ingenuity in the attack - predictable and simple to defend over and over...
So frustrated that Fulham had the tie at home, against a beatable opponent (it wasn't City or Villa) and laid an uninspiring egg.
And they'll probably beat Arsenal on Tuesday....
COYW