Hotels for Crystal Palace v Bournemouth

A festive-period fixture, sitting in the gap between Christmas and New Year when domestic football comes thick and fast. Midweek evening kick-offs at this time of year mean fans travelling straight from work, and a crowd more concerned with three points than spectacle. Expect the usual noise from the home end, cold air, and a ground lit up against the winter dark.

Squads freshened up by the transfer window's early stirrings can make for a slightly different look to either side than fans saw earlier in the season.

Crystal Palace's roots reach back to 1861, making the club, in one form, among those that helped found the Football Association and the FA Cup, though the professional club familiar today was established in 1905. Known as the Glaziers for decades — a nod to the glass-built Crystal Palace exhibition hall — the club became the Eagles under manager Malcolm Allison, who drew on Portuguese side Benfica for the new badge and identity.

That long history had gone entirely without a major trophy until 17 May 2025, when Eberechi Eze's first-half strike and a Dean Henderson penalty save beat Manchester City 1-0 in the FA Cup final, delivering Palace's first major honour after more than a century of trying.

Crystal Palace's home in south London is a proper neighbourhood ground, famous for one of the league's loudest and most colourful home ends. Selhurst sits among the residential streets of southeast London, with the bars and markets of Croydon a short ride away and central London within easy reach. Selhurst, Norwood Junction and Thornton Heath stations all serve the ground, each a few minutes' walk. Staying centrally or around Croydon keeps transport simple and lets you ride the rail straight into the matchday bustle.