- Crystal Palace face Fiorentina on April 16th
- Eagles 3-0 up on aggregate in Europa Conference League quarter-final
- Oliver Glasner likely to have three players absent
Crystal Palace are close to sealing their first-ever European semi-final as they take on Fiorentina in the second leg of their Europa Conference League quarter-final. The two sides meet on Thursday night (April 16th) at Artemio Franchi Stadium.
A phenomenal 3-0 win at home in the first leg has put Oliver Glasner’s men firmly in control of the tie. It would need an almighty collapse in Florence for the Eagles not to be flying into the next round.
Palace still need to complete the job, though, as European nights can always spring up surprises. Glasner does have several issues with his squad heading into the game.
Crystal Palace Team News
Palace didn’t come out of the victory at Selhurst Park unschathed as Evann Guessand picked up a knee injury. The Ivorian attacker came off in the second half and Glasner has confirmed he’ll be out for around 3-4 weeks.
That news came just days after Eddie Nketiah was ruled out for the rest of the season with a thigh injury. The former Arsenal striker had been close to a return from a lengthy spell on the sidelines, but will not play under Glasner again.
Cheick Doucoure is the only other doubt amid a return from an ACL injury. The Malian midfielder has been playing for the youth team to rebuild his fitness ahead of returning to action at the senior level.
Glasner made five changes to the team that beat Fiorentina when his side met Newcastle United on Sunday. He attempted to rest Adam Wharton, Daichi Kamada, and Ismaila Sarr.
Jorgen Strand Larsen returned to the starting lineup after missing the first leg due to suspension. But the aforementioned trio and Jean-Philippe Mateta all came off the bench to secure a 2-1 comeback victory.
Yeremy Pino started the Newcastle game due to Guessand’s injury. He might well retain his place in the team but Will Hughes, Jefferson Lerma and Brennan Johnson’s chances are slim.
Crystal Palace Expected XI
Dean Henderson will undoubtedly continue in goal, with Daniel Munoz, Chris Richards, Maxence Lacroix, Jaydee Canvot and Tyrick Mitchell in a back five.
Wharton and Kamada were crucial in the first-leg win and they should reclaim starting berths in midfield. Johnson failed to make the most of his opportunity against Newcastle and Sarr has been undroppable anyway.
Out on the left, Pino might continue due to Guessand’s absence, and the Spanish attacker has started to impress. He wowed fans with a second-half cameo appearance in the 3-0 win at Selhurst Park last week.
The biggest question mark over Glasner’s starting XI is who starts up front. Strand Larsen has been his first-choice number nine since arriving from Wolverhampton Wanderers for £48m in January.
But the Norweigan frontman didn’t deliver on Sunday against Newcastle and instead Mateta came to the fore. The Frenchman, who scored the opener against Fiorentina, was back on the scoresheet twice in the win over the Magpies.
Crystal Palace expected XI: Henderson; Munoz, Richards, Lacroix, Canvot, Mitchell; Wharton, Kamada; Sarr, Mateta, Pino
Prediction
Palace’s big win over the Italians last week was a real statement of intent from Glasner’s men. They are well and truly eyeing European glory, and Fiorentina need to pull off an astonishing comeback to try and continue their Conference League campaign.
That won’t happen, though, as the Eagles should again be too strong and claim another famous win out in Florence. Goals from Mateta and Munoz send the South Londoners to the semi-finals in style.
Prediction: Fiorentina 1-2 Crystal Palace
