Thursday night under the Selhurst Park floodlights. Does it get any better than that?
For Crystal Palace fans, the autumn air carries a brand-new thrill this year. We are stepping up a tier in the European pecking order. After lifting the Conference League trophy in Leipzig last season—making us just the third English club to ever win it—Oliver Glasner’s historic reign handed us a magical memory. We were even the first team to win any major silverware in a debut European campaign since 1988.
Now, the adventure continues. We are trading the Conference League for the big time: our very first-ever UEFA Europa League fixture. And welcoming us to the party are Poland’s reigning champions, Lech Poznan.
Slow Domestic Start, But Europe Awaits
While the European memories bring a massive smile, our domestic form in South London has been a bit wobbly lately.
Under new boss Pierre Sage, we are still trying to find our groove in the Premier League. Following a painful 3-2 defeat to Ipswich Town on Sunday, Sage has now lost his first two league matches at Selhurst Park (though we did grab a nice EFL Cup win over Middlesbrough there recently). In fact, we have only picked up 11 Premier League points on home turf so far in 2026, leaving us sitting 16th in the early table.
Because of that bumpy start, Sage will be demanding a strong, immediate response from the boys on Thursday evening. European nights at Selhurst have a funny way of bringing out the very best in us, and the team will need every ounce of that famous atmosphere.
How Lech Poznan Reached the Group Stage
Our visitors didn’t have a walk in the park to get here. Lech Poznan had to fight their way through the qualifying rounds.
They actually started in Champions League contention, but dropped out after a heartbreaking penalty-shootout loss to Danish side AGF. Undeterred, they dusted themselves off and swept aside Faroese club KI Klaksvik and shock Swiss champions Thun. They hammered Thun 7-0 in Poznan before a 2-2 draw in the second leg safely sent them through.
Last term, the Polish “Railwaymen” reached the last 16 of the Conference League before going on to retain their domestic title—qualifying for Europe in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1985. They have started their domestic league with five wins from seven games, though they did suffer a narrow 2-1 defeat last week despite leading with 15 minutes to go. Make no mistake, they are a dangerous, well-organised outfit.
Team News: Who is Playing?
Both sides go into this clash carrying a few bumps and bruises.
For Palace, we are still missing Dean Henderson, Chadi Riad, and Jean-Philippe Mateta due to injury, while Eddie Nketiah remains a doubt. However, there is some good news: Ismaila Sarr has been battling a groin problem after a failed transfer move, but our top scorer from last season’s European run could finally make his return to action.
Manager Pierre Sage made eight changes for the cup win against Middlesbrough, but he is expected to rotate a lot less for this massive opening fixture.
As for Lech Poznan, they will be missing injured trio Daniel Hakans, Alex Douglas, and Antoni Kozubal, alongside long-term absentee Ali Gholizadeh. Keep a close eye on Swedish winger Pontus Walemark who hit six goals in six qualifiers this summer—and their veteran captain Mikael Ishak up front, who has scored a record 18 goals from 28 major European appearances for the club.
Predicted Lineups
Crystal Palace possible starting lineup: Benitez; Mingueza, Richards, Ahanor; Khalaily, Timber, Wharton, Chilwell; Kamada, Pino; Strand Larsen
Lech Poznan possible starting lineup: Lis; Pereira, Skrzypczak, Monka, Gurgul; Murawski, Berggren; Walemark, Rodriguez, Sayyadmanesh; Ishak
