Sunday at Selhurst Park brings Crystal Palace vs Nottingham Forest in Round 2 of the 2025/26 Premier League, with kickoff at 2:00 PM BST (9:00 AM ET). On paper, Palace get the edge from the oddsmakers. In the stands and in the dugouts, this matchup feels far tighter. Forest haven’t lost to Palace in their last 10 meetings, and that streak shapes both the mood and the market.
Palace come in unbeaten in 11 across all competitions and fresh off a narrow 1-0 win over Fredrikstad in the Conference League play-off. Oliver Glasner has revived Selhurst Park with an aggressive, front-foot game—wing-backs high, quick counters when the press bites. But it’s a busy week. There’s a second leg in Europe right after this, and the transfer clock is ticking with Eberechi Eze linked to Arsenal. Those realities hang over the team sheet and any late substitutions.
Forest arrive without the noise of injuries and with a clear plan under Nuno Espírito Santo: be compact, break at speed, and funnel chances to Chris Wood. The New Zealander has already scored two league goals this season and remains a handful in the box—dominant in the air and clever with his movement on early crosses. Callum Hudson-Odoi gives Forest the out-ball on the wing and can punish a high defensive line when there’s grass to attack.
Team form, storylines, and tactics
Start with the trend that matters: Forest are unbeaten in 10 against Palace (4 wins, 6 draws). At Selhurst Park the margins have been even thinner—draws have been common, including the last meeting here, a 1-1 settled by a Hudson-Odoi equalizer. That record doesn’t guarantee anything on Sunday, but it explains why Forest won’t fear the venue or the occasion.
Palace’s home form late last season was strong: unbeaten in their final six league games at Selhurst, winning four. Glasner’s system has clear patterns. The wing-backs push high to pin full-backs, midfielders step up to close passing lanes, and the first pass forward is decisive. When it clicks, Palace turn broken plays into quick chances. The downside? Space behind the wing-backs can be exposed if the press is late or broken, and Forest are built to hit those gaps.
Personnel shapes how both teams attack. Jean-Philippe Mateta led Palace with 14 league goals last season; he’s a reliable penalty-box target who finishes with few touches. Ismaila Sarr offers pace and direct running—he can drag center-backs wide and create room for trailing runners. Daniel Muñoz adds thrust from deep; his overlaps are a big part of Palace’s width. If Eze’s situation clouds selection or minutes, Palace lose a line-breaking presence between midfield and attack, and that changes how quickly they can turn pressure into shots.
Forest’s plan is simpler but no less effective. Sit in a medium-to-low block, compress the middle, and spring wide through Hudson-Odoi or direct to Wood. Second balls are huge here. Wood’s ability to win the first contact turns goal-kicks and long diagonals into live attacking moments. Palace must win those knockdowns or Forest will keep climbing the pitch without needing long passing sequences.
Set pieces could decide this. Wood is a major aerial threat, and Forest’s deliveries are typically flat and quick to the near post. Palace, for their part, generate volume from corners through crowding the six-yard box and hunting rebounds. In tight games, one flick or a recycled second phase is often enough.
Squad notes lean toward Palace juggling minutes. Matheus Oliviera remains a doubt for the weekend but could be kept in reserve for the midweek European tie. Cheick Doucouré and Chadi Riad are longer-term absentees. Forest report a relatively clean bill of health, which helps Nuno keep a consistent shape and pressing trigger from the opening whistle.
Tempo will matter. If Palace can trap Forest in their own third early, they’ll manufacture shots and set pieces and tilt the crowd in their favor. If Forest ride out the first 20 minutes and slow the match into transitions, they’ll get the game on their terms. Pre-season and early-season trends point to defensive discipline on both sides, and that usually means low scoring unless an early mistake cracks it open.
Odds, picks, and best bets
The market has nudged toward Palace: their implied win probability sits around 41.5% based on current prices. Forest are around +198 on the moneyline, which prices them as underdogs despite their recent dominance in the head-to-head. Total goals sits at 2.5, with a lean toward the Under.
What does that mean for bettors? If you’re chasing value rather than chalk, the case for Forest is clear. The matchup suits their counter-attacking model, their injury picture is cleaner, and the psychological edge is real. Palace’s European schedule and Eze uncertainty add small but meaningful variables.
- Moneyline: Nottingham Forest (+198). The number bakes in Palace’s home edge but discounts Forest’s 10-match unbeaten run in the series and their comfort in low-margin games.
- Total goals: Under 2.5. Both teams showed defensive cohesion in pre-season, Palace have leaned on structure under Glasner, and Forest are happy to make this a 95-minute arm wrestle.
- Draw no bet: Nottingham Forest. If you want a safety net, this trims risk in a fixture that often finishes level at Selhurst.
- Anytime scorer (longer odds): Chris Wood. Form, role, and set-piece threat align. Palace must deny service rather than trust they’ll win every aerial duel.
- Both Teams To Score: No (lean). If Forest score first, they typically lower the tempo and protect the middle, which can suffocate the game.
Key matchups to watch: Mateta vs. Forest’s center-backs in the box; Sarr isolating full-backs on the break; Hudson-Odoi attacking space behind Palace’s advanced wing-backs; and Wood on Palace’s set-piece markers. The first goal will be massive—Forest are notoriously stubborn front-runners, while Palace need sustained pressure and restarts to stack chances.
Projected game flow: Palace press early and look to cage Forest inside their defensive third. If Forest survive the opening wave, expect them to tilt the field through direct balls to Wood and quick switches to Hudson-Odoi. One clean transition could swing it.
Broadcast: The match airs in the United States on Peacock Premium, with real-time boxscore coverage available on FOX Sports platforms.
Score prediction: Nottingham Forest 2, Crystal Palace 0. Underdogs on paper, but the matchup and recent history favor Forest if they manage the early storm and punish the space Palace leave behind.