Crystal Palace — Bournemouth : Match Preview and Prediction for October 18,2025

Crystal Palace’s Resilient Form

Crystal Palace, as holders of the FA Community Shield and the FA Cup, continues to disrupt the established hierarchy of top clubs for the second consecutive season. The ‘Eagles’ suffered their first defeat in 19 games against Everton (1-2) just before the international break. Despite Glasner’s side leading for most of the match, they couldn’t sustain their intensity for the final 15 minutes. Grealish ultimately forced the Londoners to capitulate in injury time. This loss was somewhat understandable, given that just days prior, the team traveled to Poland for a UEFA Europa Conference League match, where they confidently defeated Dynamo Kyiv 2-0.

Current Status and Squad News

The international break has provided the hosts with a crucial opportunity to regroup and aim to restart their unbeaten run against Bournemouth. For the upcoming clash against the ‘Cherries’, Doucouré and Riad will be unavailable, but this represents a relatively modest injury list for the home side.

Bournemouth’s Strong Start

The ‘Cherries’ offloaded their entire defensive line over the summer. Nevertheless, based on the initial rounds of the new season, Bournemouth has admirably coped with these departures, investing in transfers to replace players like Zabarnyi, Huijsen, and Kerkez. After a 2-4 opening day defeat to Liverpool at Anfield, Iraola’s charges have remained unbeaten in the . Before the international break, Bournemouth secured a 3-1 home victory over Fulham, with an intense second-half exchange of goals against the ‘Cottagers’.

Impressive Comeback and Key Absences

Despite conceding first with 20 minutes remaining in that match, a brace from the team’s top forward Semenyo and a goal from Justin Kluivert orchestrated a rapid and powerful comeback for Bournemouth. Currently, the Spanish manager’s team sits in the ‘s top four (Palace is sixth), suggesting a highly competitive encounter against the Londoners. For this fixture, the visitors will only be without young Soler, who reached the World Cup final in Chile with Argentina’s youth squad.