Crystal Palace's Dean Henderson Emphasises Team Culture And Togetherness Ahead Of Nottingham Forest Match

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Crystal Palace's unity is expected to guide them through a challenging end to the transfer window, according to Dean Henderson. They face Nottingham Forest on Sunday in their first home match of the 2025-26 Premier League season. The Eagles recently drew 0-0 with Chelsea in a match marred by a controversial VAR decision and secured a 1-0 win over Fredrikstad in their Conference League qualifier.

Adam Wharton has gained attention over recent seasons, especially after joining England's Euro 2024 squad. In Palace's opener against Chelsea, he ranked second for chances created and led in final third passes among his teammates. Meanwhile, Chris Wood scored twice for Forest against Brentford, marking the fastest goal by any Forest player on matchday one.

Eberechi Eze missed the victory over Fredrikstad as he nears a move to Arsenal. Despite Eze's impending departure, goalkeeper Henderson remains optimistic about the team's prospects this season. "The reality is we're excited for the journey we're going to go on this season," he stated. "Obviously, bringing European football to the fans for the first time in all these years is exciting for everyone involved with the club and we're really looking forward to it."

Palace has struggled against Forest in the Premier League, failing to win in their last ten encounters, with six draws and four losses. This marks their longest winless streak against any team. Conversely, Forest has maintained an unbeaten run at Selhurst Park in their last eight league visits since December 2003.

Sunday's clash carries extra significance due to Palace's demotion to the Conference League following former co-owner John Textor's involvement with Lyon. Forest replaced Palace in UEFA's secondary competition but faced internal turmoil when Nuno Espirito Santo hinted at issues with owner Evangelos Marinakis.

Henderson praised Palace's strong team culture: "The culture and the togetherness here are phenomenal and I speak for everyone when I say this." He emphasized that their unity will continue into this season, which he believes is stronger than anything else.

Forest enters Sunday's game after a 3-1 victory over Brentford, aided by Chris Wood's brace and Dan NDoye's debut goal. Despite being favourites, Palace has yet to secure a Premier League win against Forest, making this encounter particularly intriguing.

The upcoming match is expected to be closely contested given both teams' histories of tight battles. Five of Palace’s last seven Premier League games ended in draws, highlighting their tendency for evenly matched contests. Our supercomputer slightly favours Crystal Palace with a 40.2% chance of winning, while Nottingham Forest holds a 31.9% probability of victory.

Crystal Palace aims to leverage its strong team spirit as they navigate upcoming challenges both domestically and in Europe. With key players like Wharton stepping up and Henderson’s confidence in their collective strength, they hope to achieve success despite recent setbacks and transitions within the squad.