Crystal Palace vs Wolves – News and Probable Lineups

After a remarkable comeback to draw 2-2 with Arsenal, Wolverhampton Wanderers, currently at the bottom of the table, will visit Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace in this weekend’s Premier League match, looking to improve their poor performance in the capital.

Crystal Palace, despite throwing away a two-goal cushion and losing 3-2 to second-bottom Burnley last time out, has achieved five consecutive home victories against Wolves leading up to this Round 27 fixture, and they are aiming for a sixth win in South London.

Match overview

Palace returns to Selhurst Park just over a week after an unexpected dip in form, seeking their first top-flight home victory since November.

Oliver Glasner’s squad believed their three-month wait for a victory was ended after taking a 2-0 lead against Burnley, only for the Eagles to concede three goals in a mere eight minutes, trailing 3-2 by halftime.

Despite launching 15 attempts at goal in the second half, the South London side was unable to equalize, suffering their tenth league defeat of the season, five of which occurred at home.

As they look to bounce back from that disappointing setback, the home fans enter the game aware of Palace’s solid track record against their opponents from the West Midlands.

In their last ten top-flight encounters, Wolves have only managed to beat Palace once— a 2-0 victory at Molineux in April 2023.

Since that loss, Palace has accrued 13 points from the next five matches, showcasing their superiority and establishing them as favorites for maximum points despite having won only one of their last eleven league fixtures.

This trend is further supported by Wolves’ recent performances at Selhurst Park, where they have suffered six straight losses, with scorelines of 1-0, 2-0, 2-1, 3-2, and 4-2, totaling an aggregate of 12-5.

Rob Edwards’s only silver lining, aside from their recent 2-2 draw with Arsenal after being two goals down, is that Wolves have managed to score in three consecutive visits to the South London club after being shut out in 1-0 and 2-0 defeats during the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons.

This statistic reflects their overall record in the capital, where their only victory came in November 2024 against Fulham, winning that match 4-2.

However, with eight losses and two draws around that time during their visits to London, the visitors will be concerned about making another trip to face a team they traditionally struggle against.

Despite securing an FA Cup win on the road against League Two side Grimsby Town, which snapped a 13-match winless run away from home, Edwards’s squad faces a tough task to mirror that result in South London.

With Wolverhampton scoring the fewest away goals in the league at just five and no other club across England’s four tiers going as many matches on the road without a win, the traveling supporters might brace for further disappointment in the capital this Sunday.

Team News

Chadi Riad Dnanou will undergo a late fitness assessment before Sunday’s match, as will Maxence Lacroix, who was substituted shortly after the hour mark in Thursday’s Conference League knockout playoff first-leg against Zrinjski.

Confirmed absentees include Cheick Doucoure (thigh), Eddie Nketiah (thigh), Jean-Philippe Mateta (knee), and Jefferson Lerma (thigh).

Having only just transferred to Palace from Wolves last month, Jorgen Strand Larsen aims to become the first player since Henrikh Mkhitaryan in 2017-18 (Manchester United) to score for and against the same team in the same season.

With two goals in two matches for the Eagles, Strand Larsen has already surpassed his single goal scored in 1,405 minutes for the West Midlands side, underscoring the evident change in his fortunes since moving to the capital.

Ismaila Sarr could also play a crucial role for Palace, having scored three times in all competitions in February, which includes a match-winning goal against Brighton and an equalizer for the Eagles in Thursday’s 1-1 draw with Zrinjski.

Although Wolves have managed to avoid defeat in their last three matches across all competitions, including two consecutive league draws, no player from their squad, which ranks as the lowest in terms of scoring, has netted more than two goals; Matheus Cunha, Santiago Bueno, Ladislav Krejci, Hwang Hee-chan, and Tolu Arokodare have all scored twice.

Notably, all of Santiago’s goals have come away from home, scored against Tottenham and Liverpool in September and November respectively, and the defender will be looking for a third at Selhurst Park.

The West Midlands team have fewer injuries to contend with, as Angel Gomes is fit following a back injury.

However, Edwards will have to manage without Hwang (calf), and Toti Gomes’s thigh issue is still to be evaluated.

Crystal Palace probable starting XI:

Henderson; Richards, Canvot, Riyadh; Muñoz, Wharton, Kamada, Mitchell; Sarr, Pino; Larsen

Wolverhampton Wanderers probable starting XI:

Sa; Mosquera, Bueno, Krejci; R. Gomes, J. Gomes, Andre, Cunha, H. Bueno; Arokodare, Armstrong

Wolves have historically struggled during visits to the capital, and their poor away form is unlikely to improve against a Crystal Palace side they haven’t beaten in South London since 2018.

With Palace’s stronger home record in this fixture and the presence of more in-form match winners like Sarr and Larsen, another challenging afternoon is anticipated for the West Midlands team.