Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace are about to collide in a match that has drama written all right across it. Oliver Glasner is walking right back into Selhurst Park, and the atmosphere promises to be electric.
Glasner swept up a mountain of trophies during his time in south London. He guided Palace to FA Cup glory, a memorable UEFA Conference League triumph, and a Community Shield victory. Under normal circumstances, the home fans would stand up and shower him with a roaring standing ovation.
However, football rarely works that way. Glasner has jumped ship and taken charge at Nottingham Forest now. To make matters even spicier, Palace fans still hold a massive grudge because they firmly believe Forest stole their spot in the Europa League last season. Now, the stage is set for a fiery reunion after the international break.
First Up: A Trip to Elland Road
Before Crystal Palace can even begin thinking about the fiery reunion with Oliver Glasner and Nottingham Forest, they face a massive hurdle this Sunday. Palace travel away to Elland Road to face a red-hot Leeds United side.
Leeds enter this fixture high on confidence following a sensational performance on Monday night. The Yorkshire club delivered a statement display, crushing Newcastle United 4-1 in front of a roaring home crowd. An own goal from Lewis Miley, alongside strikes from Jayden Bogle, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, and Noah Okafor, completely dismantled Newcastle and propelled Leeds up the Premier League table. Palace will need to tighten up defensively to contain a rampant Leeds attack on their own turf.
Injury Chaos Hits Crystal Palace
While the squad prepares for a brutal schedule, Crystal Palace face a massive headache on the injury front. Their star striker, Jean-Philippe Mateta, has been stuck on the sidelines for a whole month with a nagging hamstring problem.
The London Standard reports that Mateta might finally return to action just in time to face Forest. Without his physical presence leading the line, Palace have stuttered badly at the start of the 2026–27 campaign. They have even failed to sell out Selhurst Park for their opening Europa League match against Lech Poznan.
Palace boss Pierre Sage called the whole situation crazy. Mateta missed the start of the season after picking up a muscular injury right before a clash with Manchester City. Missing your top goalscorer who netted twelve Premier League goals last season always hurts a team.
To add insult to injury, Palace almost lost him twice. Forest tried to sign Mateta back in January, but that deal fell through when he failed a medical with Milan before heading back to Palace to claim European silverware. Both parties flirted with a summer move too, but his untimely injury slammed the door shut on any late transfer window exit.
Looking Back at Previous Encounters
When tracking how these two teams match up, history shows a remarkably stubborn rivalry. Prior to the upcoming fixtures for the 2026–27 season, their most recent Premier League battle took place at the City Ground on February 1, 2026, ending in a tightly contested 1–1 draw.
In that match, Morgan Gibbs-White fired Forest ahead early in the fourth minute. Drama unfolded right on the stroke of half-time when Forest defender Neco Williams received a red card for a handball in the box, allowing Ismaïla Sarr to calmly convert the resulting penalty and level the score for the Eagles. Despite Palace pressing hard with a numerical advantage in the second half, the Tricky Trees defended resolutely to secure a point. In fact, looking back across recent history, draws have completely dominated this fixture, making every single battle an unpredictable war of attrition.
A Thin Squad Faces a Brutal Schedule
Crystal Palace do not just have to worry about Mateta; their injury list looks like a casualty ward right now. The Eagles will miss Mateta for their upcoming fixture, and he sits out their European matches as well.
With Mateta out, expensive January signing Jorgen Strand Larsen must step up to lead the attack. Larsen cost a cool £48 million, but he only has one goal to his name so far this season.
Palace also sweat over the fitness of other key names. Eddie Nketiah and Ismaila Sarr might miss out too. To make matters ten times worse, defender Axel Disasi starts a costly three-match suspension after picking up a red card against Ipswich Town last weekend.
Sage faces a massive juggling act. Palace must balance demanding midweek European matches in the tougher Europa League with grueling weekend Premier League fixtures. Because this level of European football demands maximum effort, Sage cannot rotate his squad easily. A thin squad plus a brutal fixture list spells trouble.
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