Fulham and Crystal Palace meet at Craven Cottage on Wednesday night in the EFL Cup fourth round, offering a shift in focus for two under-fire managers.

Alvaro Arbeloa is still in the woods regarding his role at Fulham, although recent results have offered hope for the Spaniard to maintain his position. After enduring a difficult start to the season, the Cottagers have responded well, suffering only one defeat in their last six matches across all competitions.

Back-to-back 1-0 league victories over Hull City and Coventry City have lifted spirits at Craven Cottage. At the weekend, it was Oscar Bobb who scored the decisive goal away at the CBS Arena, helping Fulham move up to 15th in the Premier League table and improving their overall form.

Fulham also progressed in the EFL Cup with a 3-2 away win over West Ham United in the third round. Rodrigo Muniz and Cesar Palacios scored in the first half before Bobb netted the winner, and Arbeloa will now hope his side can build on that momentum against Crystal Palace, who come to Craven Cottage on Wednesday.

While Arbeloa continued to build momentum with positive results and push away the talk of a sack, the same cannot be said about Crystal Palace boss Pierre Sage. The Frenchman has continued to struggle since succeeding Oliver Glasner just four months ago. The Eagles have lost five of their opening eight Premier League matches and sit 17th in the table.

Palace were booed off after Sunday’s 2-0 home defeat to Newcastle United, which followed their humiliating 5-0 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion. Sage has insisted that the speculation surrounding his position is “normal”, but pressure is mounting on the Frenchman to deliver an immediate improvement, with media reports having begun pointing towards potential successors to the Frenchman.

Despite their struggles, Palace have a strong recent record at Craven Cottage, having avoided defeat in their last nine visits across all competitions. They won each of their last four meetings there by an aggregate score of 10-3, including a 3-2 Premier League victory earlier this season, as Sage will hope this is a positive sign to progress in the EFL Cup.

Team News & Tactics

Fulham

Fulham will be without Ryan Sessegnon, who serves the second match of a three-game domestic suspension. Emile Smith Rowe is a doubt after missing the win over Coventry with unspecified issues, and a late assessment will allow Alvaro Arbeloa to make a firm decision on the attacking midfielder.

Hugo Larsson made his first Premier League start last weekend after recovering from a groin injury, but Sander Berge could return to the midfield. Arbeloa may also make several changes to the team, with Benjamin Lecomte, Kenny Tete, Joachim Andersen, Tom Cairney, Kevin, and Rodrigo Muniz all pushing for starts.

Fulham are likely to use a 4-2-3-1 formation against Crystal Palace, with Muniz leading the line and Kevin, King, and Palacios providing support behind him. Joachim Andersen could return to pair up with Calvin Bassey at the heart of the defence, while Kenny Tete and Antonee Robinson are expected to feature in the full-back roles.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Lecomte; Tete, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson; Charles, Berge; Kevin, King, Palacios; Muniz

Crystal Palace

Palace have a few injury issues of their own, and remain without Chadi Riad (knee), Takehiro Tomiyasu (calf), and Quinten Timber (thigh). Jorgen Strand Larsen and Ismaila Sarr will be assessed after missing the defeat to Newcastle, while Dean Henderson is also a doubt due to an ankle injury, meaning Walter Benitez is expected to keep his place between the sticks.

Tyrick Mitchell scored twice in Crystal Palace’s Premier League win at Fulham last month, but Ben Chilwell is likely to replace him at left wing-back. Oscar Mingueza, Honest Ahanor, Jefferson Lerma, Will Hughes, and Eddie Nketiah could all come into the side.

Pierre Sage is expected to stick to a 3-4-2-1 formation, with Eddie Nketiah leading the attack, as Dwight McNeil and Evann Guessand operate behind him. Adam Wharton and Will Hughes are likely to anchor the midfield, while Chilwell and Mingueza provide width from the wing-back positions.

Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Benitez; Lerma, Ahanor, Richards; Mingueza, Wharton, Hughes, Chilwell; McNeil, Guessand; Nketiah

Key Stats

• Fulham have won only one of their last five matches against Crystal Palace.
• Crystal Palace are unbeaten in their last nine visits to Craven Cottage.
• Crystal Palace have won their last four matches at Craven Cottage by an aggregate score of 10-3.
• Crystal Palace have conceded 24 goals in all competitions this season.

Player to Watch

Josh King

King has been one of the best performers for Fulham this season despite their struggles overall under Alvaro Arbeloa. Had this game been against lower-league opposition, the manager might have rested the attacking midfielder, but he could have a place on Wednesday.

While King’s overall performance deserves praise, he still needs to find a way to get his name into the goal contributions column moving ahead. The idea of helping Fulham into the next phase of the EFL Cup will mark an improvement for the player personally; the young Englishman will probably be Crystal Palace’s biggest threat to contain when they travel to Craven Cottage.

Prediction

Fulham 2-1 Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace do have a recent good record when playing at Craven Cottage, although they are the underdogs coming into this clash based on their form. Pierre Sage must find a way to get the best out of his talented squad, but the upward trajectory in Fulham’s momentum will probably decide the tie.

Alvaro Arbeloa is beginning to get a tune out of his players, and Wednesday might provide another opportunity to get better. Given their current form, the Cottagers are the favourites to clinch a spot in the next phase of the EFL Cup, and might end up securing a narrow 2-1 win.