Key Facts
- Crystal Palace has won four of the last five matches against West Ham; none ended in a draw, suggesting Palace is the clear favorite.
- Goals to expect: Mateta’s brace against Newcastle and West Ham’s 4-0 win over Wolves suggest a high-scoring game; Palace has seen over 2.5 goals in four of their last five matches.
- All five recent head-to-head matches have seen over 1.5 goals; at least two goals were scored in the second half of every match, suggesting late goals.
- Glasner’s squad issues following the match in Florence are significant: Richards, Nketiah, and Guessand are out; Wharton and Lacroix are doubtful — forced rotation expected.
- West Ham’s problems: Starting goalkeeper Fabianski is out; poor away form (most recently a 0-2 loss at Aston Villa) – points to Palace’s home advantage in the Hammers’ relegation battle.
- Expected to be a cautious start: Palace is coming off a European Cup match, West Ham needs to play flawlessly; historically, most goals in this matchup have been scored in the second half.
Crystal Palace returns from Florence having secured a spot in the Conference League semifinals, but Monday’s Premier League derby against West Ham United is a different story altogether. Oliver Glasner’s team has momentum at Selhurst Park following the win over Newcastle, while Nuno Espírito Santo leads the Hammers into a decisive match in the relegation battle after their convincing victory over Wolves. On top of that: Palace also won the first leg in September 2-1, and that memory still lingers. Palace is level on points with Newcastle and still has Fulham within sight, while West Ham is just one point behind Nottingham Forest and two ahead of Tottenham. The urgency is real for both clubs, albeit for very different reasons.
- Venue: Selhurst Park, London
- Date and Time: April 20, 2026, 9:00 PM
- Competition: Premier League (Matchday 33)
The market’s slight bias toward Palace hardly reflects how often both teams are involved in high-scoring matches. Palace have seen over 2.5 goals in four of their last five games, West Ham have scored at least two goals in each of their past five matches, and the absence of Lukasz Fabianski is an additional blow.
Crystal Palace Form & Record Check
The 1-2 loss in Florence was bearable because the 3-0 win from the first leg had long since sealed the deal. Nevertheless, the evening had its consequences: Adam Wharton had to come off early, Maxence Lacroix left the field before halftime, and Oliver Glasner is already without Chris Richards, Evann Guessand, and Eddie Nketiah. Rotation is no longer a matter of choice, but simply a necessity. At home at Selhurst Park, however, the situation looks much better. The 2-1 win over Newcastle was, above all, a perfect second half, powered by a brace from Jean-Philippe Mateta. Palace has remained unbeaten in its last three Premier League matches, and out of the last eleven games overall, there have been only two losses, both on the road. No wonder, then, that they’ve managed to stay in touch with the top of the table.
It’s expected that Palace will stick to Oliver Glasner’s usual 3-4-2-1 formation, though this is, of course, just a prediction. Dean Henderson – 1 is likely to start in goal, and if Maxence Lacroix – 5 is fit in time, he would probably defend between Jaydee Canvot – 23 and Chadi Riad – 34. Daniel Muñoz – 2 and Tyrick Mitchell – 3 are expected to provide the necessary width to the system. The main question marks revolve around the availability of individual players. Chris Richards is out, and Adam Wharton is listed as doubtful, which is why Jefferson Lerma – 8 and Daichi Kamada – 18 will likely have to start in the center. Since Evann Guessand and Eddie Nketiah are unavailable, Ismaïla Sarr – 7 and Yéremy Pino – 10 are slated to provide support behind Jean-Philippe Mateta – 14.
West Ham Form & Record Check
The 4-0 win against Wolves was West Ham’s most convincing performance in quite some time, and not just because of the result. Nuno Espírito Santos’s system finally looked solid: Konstantinos Mavropanos was decisive on set pieces, Taty Castellanos scored a spectacular goal, and Jarrod Bowen contributed two assists. This victory has noticeably shifted the mood, from relegation fears to genuine confidence, even if the danger is far from over. Their form in the league is actually more stable than the table suggests at first glance: just two losses in their last eight Premier League matches. Away from home, however, they’re struggling. Most recently, the Hammers lost 2-0 at Aston Villa, and with Lukasz Fabianski out, Mads Hermansen will play a key role. Interestingly, Crysencio Summerville’s return also adds pace to the game as soon as play moves into open space.
West Ham are likely to stick with a 4-2-3-1 formation, which has brought them more defensive stability under Nuno Espírito Santo. Mads Hermansen – 1 is likely to be the starting goalkeeper again, as Lukasz Fabianski remains sidelined with a back injury. The back four could consist of Aaron Wan-Bissaka – 29, Jean-Clair Todibo – 25, Konstantinos Mavropanos – 15, and El Hadji Malick Diouf – 12. In this lineup, Mateus Fernandes – 18 and Tomáš Souček – 28 would anchor the midfield and ensure West Ham stays compact before pushing forward. Ahead of them, Jarrod Bowen – 20, Pablo – 19, and Crysencio Summerville – 7 form the expected support line behind Taty Castellanos – 11. Summerville’s return from injury brings additional speed to the game, while Konstantinos Mavropanos – 15 enters the projected starting lineup on the back of strong league form.
Crystal Palace – West Ham Head-to-Head & Stats
Recent head-to-head results clearly favor Palace: four wins in the last five meetings, not a single draw in that run. Palace last won 2-1 away in September 2025, having previously secured a 2-0 victory in early 2025. Even West Ham’s sole win during this period, in August 2024, came before Palace truly established dominance in this matchup. Interestingly, the scoring pattern also tells a clear story: All five matches went Over 1.5 goals, and in every single one, at least two goals were scored in the second half. West Ham has, after all, found the net in the last three encounters, so it wasn’t a dry streak of Palace clean-sheet wins. Rather, it was usually the case that the Eagles struck more effectively once the game opened up.
