Fulham vs Palace: Preview, h2h as Bassey seeks to avenge September

Fulham host Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup fourth round on Wednesday, with Super Eagles defender Calvin Bassey and midfielder Alex Iwobi looking to avenge a 3-2 league defeat to the same opponents in September.

Fulham arrive with back-to-back league wins, 1-0 against Hull City and 1-0 at Coventry City, and eight points from eight games. Palace come off a 5-0 loss to Brighton and a 2-0 home defeat to Newcastle United, with pressure rising on head coach Pierre Sage.

Form guide

Fulham's last two league games were both 1-0 wins. Soccernet covered Bassey's display at Coventry and previewed that game. Oscar Bobb scored the 80th-minute winner at Coventry on Saturday, and no penalty was given against Bassey after a VAR check in first-half stoppage time.

Palace conceded twice in the second half against Newcastle, through Will Osula in the 47th minute and Harvey Barnes in the 58th. Added to the 5-0 loss to Brighton the week before, that is seven goals conceded in two league matches.

Head-to-head

The sides met at Craven Cottage on 5 September, and Palace won 3-2. Tyrick Mitchell scored twice and Ben Chilwell hit the winner in the 75th minute, after Josh King and César Palacios had scored for Fulham.

It was Fulham's third straight league defeat at the start of the season, and Palace's first win.

The Nigerian connection

Bassey and Iwobi

Bassey and Iwobi were on the losing side in September and have since been part of two league wins. Bassey played all 90 minutes at Coventry, and Iwobi was substituted in the 74th minute after reaching 328 Premier League appearances, as Soccernet is reporting today.

Analysis: form favours Fulham, but Palace have scored here before

The numbers lean Fulham's way. They have two clean sheets in their last two league games, and Palace have conceded seven in theirs. Palace also scored three at Craven Cottage in September, so a clean sheet is far from guaranteed.

A one-off cup tie rarely rewards the side in poorer form, and Fulham's home form and recent results make them the stronger side.

Fulham's recent defensive record and Palace's two heavy defeats point to a home win, though Palace's September goals mean the visitors can be expected to score.