--- title: "Beşiktaş vs. Crystal Palace: Europa League preview, prediction & team news" canonical: "https://readcrystalpalace.com/2026/10/22/besiktas-vs-crystal-palace-prediction-team-news-preview/" type: "post" language: "en-GB" author: "Naz Yusuf" section: "Crystal Palace Match Previews" published: "2026-10-22T14:00:00Z" modified: "2026-10-22T14:00:00Z" --- # Beşiktaş vs. Crystal Palace: Europa League preview, prediction & team news For those who made the trip down to the South Coast on Sunday or watched in sheer disbelief from home the 5-0 hammering at Brighton felt like a sharp, sickening punch to the gut. Conceding three times inside the opening ten minutes against their fiercest rivals was humiliating, equalling a 70-year club record for our heaviest defeat in the fixture. Leaving the Amex, manager Pierre Sage pulled no punches about the performance, admitting he harboured *“only one feeling – shame.”* In modern football, though, there is never time to dwell. Before we have even had a chance to process the domestic collapse, Crystal Palace are on a plane to Turkey to face Beşiktaş at the Tüpraş Stadium in Thursday night’s UEFA Europa League clash. Sitting 15th in the 36-team main phase standings after a chaotic 3-2 defeat away to Lyon, this trip is as daunting as it gets.Vincenzo Italiano’s Beşiktaş sit fourth in the European table, having scored seven goals across back-to-back victories over Marseille (4-1) and Hoffenheim (3-2). For Palace, Thursday night is about far more than group points it is about restoring pride, stopping a dangerous downward spiral, and proving this squad can handle the heat when backed firmly into a corner. ## Recent Form ### **Beşiktaş: Flying High in Europe Despite Domestic Stumble** After failing to qualify for European football last season, the Black Eagles have made a roaring return to the continental stage. They kicked off their Europa League campaign with a statement 4-1 victory over Marseille in Istanbul, before edging Hoffenheim 3-2 in Germany thanks to a dramatic late double from Oh Hyeon-gyu. That marked just the fourth time in their history that Beşiktaş have won their opening two main-stage matches in UEFA competition. Domestically, however, Vincenzo Italiano’s side suffered a minor bump last weekend, falling 2-0 away to Trabzonspor in the Süper Lig to leave them fifth in the table. Nevertheless, their home record in Europe remains formidable: Beşiktaş have won four straight European matches at the Tüpraş Stadium. - **Beşiktaş Europa League Form:** W – W – W – L – W – W - **Beşiktaş Form (All Competitions):** W – W – L – W – W – L ### **Crystal Palace: Seeking Redemption Away from Home** Life after last season’s Conference League triumph has brought a steep learning curve. While Palace opened their Europa League campaign in style with a 4-0 home victory over Lech Poznan, back-to-back away defeats 3-2 against Lyon and 5-0 against Brighton have severely tested the squad’s resolve. The Eagles have conceded the most goals in the Premier League (17 in seven games) and have won just two of their last 11 away matches across all competitions (D3, L6), conceding two or more goals in nine of those fixtures. - **Crystal Palace Europa League Form:** W – L - **Crystal Palace Form (All Competitions):** L – W – D – W – L – L ## Team News, Injuries & Suspensions ### **Beşiktaş** The hosts will be without winger **Milot Rashica**, who is sidelined with a hamstring injury and was omitted from their Europa League squad. Key midfielder **Orkun Kökçü** remains out until next month while nursing a foot injury. In attack, summer signing **Dusan Vlahovic**—who has netted six goals in six Süper Lig games—is pushing to make his first Europa League start after missing the Hoffenheim win through illness. He faces stiff competition from Oh Hyeon-gyu. Meanwhile, former Premier League trio **Leandro Trossard**, **Wilfried Ndidi**, and **Emmanuel Agbadou** are all expected to start. ### **Crystal Palace** Sage received a welcome boost with the return of left-back **Ben Chilwell**, who trained this week after missing three games with a knee issue. Defender **Axel Disasi** is also available after serving a domestic suspension and should bolster a shaky backline alongside Jaydee Canvot and Chris Richards. However, the injury list remains a major concern: - **Chadi Riad** (knee) remains out long-term. - **Takehiro Tomiyasu** (calf) has suffered a fresh setback and is ruled out until after the next international break. - **Quinten Timber** missed the flight to Turkey with an injury. - **Dean Henderson** (foot) returned to training on Monday but Thursday comes too soon for his match return. | **Category** | **Beşiktaş** | **Crystal Palace** | | --- | --- | --- | | **Out / Injured** | Milot Rashica (Hamstring), Orkun Kökçü (Foot) | Chadi Riad (Knee), Takehiro Tomiyasu (Calf), Quinten Timber (Unspecified) | | **Doubtful / Assessing** | Dusan Vlahovic (Illness recovery) | Dean Henderson (Foot / Match Fitness) | | **Returns / Available** | Dusan Vlahovic | Ben Chilwell, Axel Disasi | ## What the Managers Have Said ### **Pierre Sage (Crystal Palace)** Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Sage urged his players to embrace the fierce Turkish atmosphere rather than fear it: > **“Sometimes we have to switch quickly and this is the case this time. It was a tough defeat \[at Brighton\] in a context, and we have to forget this quickly because now we have to show our real face in a big atmosphere, especially here against a good team – and that’s a good challenge for us.** > > ### **Vincenzo Italiano (Beşiktaş)** > > Vincenzo Italiano emphasised the importance of maintaining their home momentum in Europe while respecting Palace’s inherent Premier League quality: > > > **“We know Crystal Palace are coming off a difficult domestic result, but in European football, Premier League sides are always dangerous. They have elite individual quality and physical power. We must respect them, but our focus is on maintaining our intensity in front of our home supporters. The atmosphere at Tüpraş Stadyumu is our greatest strength, and we must use that energy from the first whistle to control the game.”** > > > > ## Possible Starting Lineups > > > > **Beşiktaş (4-3-3):** > > > > Nübel; Murillo, Agbadou, Topçu, Yılmaz; Özcan, Ndidi, Olaitan; Fakili, Vlahović, Trossard > > > > **Crystal Palace (3-4-2-1):** > > > > Henderson; Canvot, Disasi, Richards; Mingueza, Wharton, Hughes, Mitchell; Pino, Sarr; Strand Larsen > > > > This isn’t just about collecting points in the Europa League table; it is about stopping a slump before it turns into a crisis.