Crystal Palace can book their place in the last 16 of the Europa Conference League if they beat Bosnian outfit Zrinjski Mostar tomorrow night. The two sides meet in the second leg of their play-off, and the scores are level at 1-1 on aggregate.
The Eagles were frustrated in the first-leg last Thursday, squandering a 1-0 lead given to them by Ismaila Sarr. They were hit on the counter by the hosts, and Karlo Abramovic levelled.
Should Palace prevail at Selhurst Park tomorrow, they will learn their last 16 opponents on Friday morning. The draw takes place at 13:00 PM UK time, and there are two possibilities for Oliver Glasner’s side.
Crystal Palace’s potential last 16 opponents
There are eight teams already through to the last 16 after finishing in automatic qualification places during the league phase. French side Strasbourg topped the table, with Polish outfit Rakow, AEK Athens of Greece and Czech club Sparta Praha completing the top four.
Spanish side Rayo Vallecano, Ukrainian giants Shakhtar Donetsk, German outfit Mainz and Cypriot minnows AEK Larnaca were the best of the rest. Palace missed out on the top eight by two points and finished 10th.
If Glasner’s men beat Zrinjski, they will take on either Mainz or AEK Larnaca in the last 16. Those two teams finished seventh and eight respectively.
Palace will also learn their path to the final on Friday, as the draw will allocate a side of the bracket to each team. The teams the Eagles will likely want to avoid are Strasbourg and Vallecano.
Mainz
Last summer’s pre-season friendly against Mainz may serve as good preparation for the Germans should Palace advance and draw the Bundesliga side. Glasner’s men lost 4-3 back in July, but of course, the stakes are much higher in competitive football.
Mainz are a club Glasner knows well from his time managing Eintracht Frankfurt and Wolfsburg in Germany. He fared well in each meeting with Die Nullfünfer, beating them five times in eight games.
Urs Fischer’s men are floundering mid-table in the Bundesliga and currently sit 13th, the same position Palace occupy in the Premier League. They have won five and lost 11 of their 23 top-flight games.
AEK Larnaca
AEK Larnaca have been on the rise in recent years, but aren’t among the most successful Cypriot clubs in history. They sit third in the First Division, eight points behind leaders Omonoia.
Palace have already faced Larnaca this season, and it ended in defeat for the South Londoners. A 1-0 loss at home came in October, with Riad Bajic bagging the winner.
Glasner’s troops were dominant for the majority of the game but the visitors made the most of limited opportunities at goal. Revenge will be on the Eagles’ minds should they progress and draw Imanol Idiakez’s men.
