Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the English Premier League match.
Regardless of how the English Premier League season concludes for Crystal Palace, they have already reached a significant milestone—clinching the FA Cup and earning a place in European competition. Riding the emotional momentum from that success, they are capable of delivering exceptional performances. Wolverhampton Wanderers would be wise to approach this match with full focus.
Crystal Palace
However, the extra fixture may have left Crystal Palace physically and mentally drained. That scenario seems plausible. Facing Manchester City is hardly ever straightforward. Manchester City typically dominate possession, pushing teams deep into their own half and forcing them to defend for extended stretches. Crystal Palace recorded just 22% possession and managed only seven shots, but one fluid counterattack proved decisive. The only drawback is that this triumph came just three days ago—leaving minimal time to recover.
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Still, we don’t expect Crystal Palace to completely write off this fixture, particularly with the opportunity to perform in front of their home fans—supporters who now regard the players as heroes. Wolverhampton Wanderers showed in their previous outing that they are vulnerable. They appeared to have the edge—playing at home against Brighton, a side with little left to fight for. Yet, individual mistakes proved fatal. Matheus Cunha was largely ineffective in attack (0.11 xG), despite registering one strong effort on target, and also contributed to defensive issues. He lingered too long on the ball near his own penalty area, failed to sense the pressure, was dispossessed, and then committed a foul inside the penalty area. That penalty ultimately became the winning goal for Brighton.
Crystal Palace vs Wolverhampton Wanderers Prediction
In contrast, Crystal Palace have Eberechi Eze, who has now scored in five straight matches—even when coming off the bench. That might make him even more dangerous. Add in Jean-Philippe Mateta, and consider how difficult it is to beat Dean Henderson, the standout performer in the cup final. It’s about time he was given a chance to start for England. For all these reasons, we believe the hosts are far closer to securing a win than the visitors, fatigue notwithstanding.
