Crystal Palace vs Nottingham Forest: Premier League Preview, Team News & Key Stats

Crystal Palace will host Nottingham Forest at Selhurst Park in the second round of the Premier League 2025/2026 season on August 24th at 4pm East African Time.

The match will be officiated by experienced referee Anthony Taylor, who will oversee this early-season encounter between two teams with contrasting starts to their campaigns.

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This fixture represents an important opportunity for both sides to establish momentum in the opening stages of the Premier League season, with Palace seeking their first league win and Forest looking to build on their impressive opening day victory.

Nottingham Forest have made an excellent start to the Premier League campaign, currently sitting in sixth place with three points after their convincing opening day victory. Their impressive 3-1 win over Brentford has given them early momentum and a positive goal difference that places them among the early frontrunners.

Crystal Palace, meanwhile, occupy 14th position with a single point following their goalless draw against Chelsea.

The Eagles will be eager to secure their first league win of the season at home, which would potentially lift them into the top half of the table. Both teams will view this early-season clash as crucial for setting the tone for their respective campaigns.

Crystal Palace enter this fixture with mixed recent form, having won two, drawn two, and lost one of their last five matches across all competitions.

The Eagles secured a narrow 1-0 victory against Fredrikstad in their Conference League Qualification match three days ago following a goalless draw against Chelsea in their Premier League opener.

Earlier, they impressed with a 2-2 draw against Liverpool in the Community Shield , lost 0:1 to Augsburg in a friendly but defeated the same opponent 3-1 in another friendly match earlier that day.

Nottingham Forest, currently sitting sixth in the Premier League, have been unbeaten in four of their last five matches, with an impressive 3:1 victory against Brentford in their league opener. Their pre-season saw three consecutive draws – 0-0 against Al Qadasiya, 0-0 versus Fiorentina , and 0-0 against Estoril – interrupted only by a 1-0 defeat to Birmingham.

The recent history between Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest has been remarkably balanced, with the last five meetings producing three draws and one win for each side.

Their most recent encounter at Selhurst Park ended in a 1-1 draw on May 5, 2025, with Eberechi Eze converting a penalty for Palace and Murillo scoring for Forest in the 64th minute. Earlier in the 2024/25 season, Forest secured a 1-0 home victory at the City Ground on October 21, 2024, thanks to a Chris Wood goal in the 65th minute.

The 2023/24 season saw another 1-1 draw at the City Ground on March 30, 2024, with Jean-Philippe Mateta scoring early for Palace before Chris Wood equalized. Their October 2023 meeting at Selhurst Park ended in a goalless draw, while their May 2023 encounter finished 1-1 with goals from Taiwo Awoniyi and Will Hughes.

Crystal Palace Starting XI:

Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Guehi; Munoz, Wharton, Hughes, Mitchell; Sarr, Mateta, Devenny

Nottingham Forest Starting XI:

Sels; Aina, Murillo, Milenkovic, Williams; Yates, Anderson; Ndoye, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood