Crystal Palace vs Nottingham Forest preview, team news and predicted lineup

Crystal Palace return to Selhurst Park on Sunday for their first home Premier League match of the new season, as Nottingham Forest travel to South London. This fixture is one of the most eagerly anticipated of the weekend, thanks to heightened tensions between the clubs following the controversy over Palace’s demotion to the Conference League this summer.

Instead of Nottingham Forest playing a Conference League qualifier on Thursday night, it was Crystal Palace who were forced to take part, after being relegated from the Europa League due to issues related to multi-club ownership. As a result, Forest took Palace’s place in UEFA’s second-tier competition, fueling animosity between the two sets of supporters—especially since Forest were open in their efforts to push UEFA to act on Palace’s situation.

The demotion has somewhat overshadowed what had otherwise been a memorable summer for Palace, who lifted the FA Cup, won the Community Shield, and played their first-ever European match, defeating Fredrikstad 1-0 on Thursday. However, Eberechi Eze was absent from Oliver Glasner’s squad, with the England international reportedly close to a move to Arsenal—a major blow for Palace fans with less than two weeks remaining before the transfer window closes.

Meanwhile, Nuno Espirito Santo’s Nottingham Forest started their league campaign in impressive fashion, beating Brentford 3-1 at the City Ground last weekend. That result dispelled any concerns from a winless pre-season—during which Forest drew five of their seven friendlies 0-0—and excitement is building after a busy summer in the transfer market.

Before hosting West Ham next week, Forest will aim to continue their excellent away form from last season. Only Liverpool and Arsenal collected more points on the road than Forest’s 33, with Nuno’s side winning 10 of their 19 away Premier League matches.

Eze’s exclusion from Palace’s Conference League squad on Thursday has all but confirmed his imminent departure from the club. Meanwhile, Marc Guehi—who has been linked with Liverpool—retained his place in Palace’s back three. Jefferson Lerma replaced Chris Richards at centre-back, and Borna Sosa was preferred over Tyrick Mitchell in the only changes to the starting lineup. However, aside from the outgoing Eze, the same XI that began against Chelsea is expected to start here.

In terms of injuries, Daichi Kamada is nearing a return, but Eddie Nketiah, Chadi Riad, Cheick Doucoure, and Matheus Franca remain sidelined for now.

For Forest, Chris Wood—who scored twice on the opening day—will be looking to maintain his strong form, having netted against Palace in two of his last three appearances. Three new signings—James McAtee, Omari Hutchinson, and Arnaud Kalimuendo—could all feature in the squad, providing Nuno with additional attacking options for the new season. The only absentee for Forest is Nicolas Dominguez, who is set to miss the next four months due to a serious knee injury.

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

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

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