Crystal Palace vs Nottingham Forest

Selhurst Park is the venue as Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest go head-to-head in an exciting Premier League showdown. 

Crystal Palace threw a spectacle in their FA Cup semi-final against Aston Villa, thrashing Unai Emery’s side 3-0 to reach their first final since 2015/16. However, there’s not much left to play for in the Premier League for Palace, except for a top-half finish perhaps. Seven points adrift of 10th-placed Brighton, Oliver Glasner’s charges must pull off the unthinkable to close the gap in the final four matches. Whether they can even hold up their end of the bargain remains questionable, considering they head into proceedings amid a four-game winless league run (D2, L2). That hardly bodes well, as they aim to defy a dismal run of just one win from their last 14 league encounters against Forest (D6, L7). That includes an ongoing eight-game patch (D5, L3), with the most recent three ending level, just as Palace’s last home outing in the Premier League. 

On the other hand, Nottingham Forest must buck that trend to reignite their faltering top-five push because another stalemate won’t suffice after three defeats from their last four league games (W1) saw them drop to sixth. With fifth-placed Chelsea three points away, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side must bounce back from a 2-0 home loss to Brentford in midweek Premier League action, which added insult to injury following an identical defeat to Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final. Encouragingly, their only triumph in that recent downfall came on the road, courtesy of a 2-1 win at Tottenham. Hitting the road could be a blessing in disguise for Forest, considering only Liverpool boast more away league wins than their nine this season (D2, L6).