Crystal Palace will continue their assault on a first-ever European triumph this week when they welcome AEK Larnaca to Selhurst Park.
The Eagles have endured a difficult season on and off the pitch, but European glory would allow Oliver Glasner to sail off into the sunset this summer with two trophies under his belt from his two-and-a-half-year tenure in South London.
AEK Larnaca will head into the match with plenty of confidence, as they have already beaten Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park this season.
Before taking a look at the rest of today's betting tips, check out our Crystal Palace vs AEK Larnaca prediction below.
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Crystal Palace vs AEK Larnaca key stats
- Four out of Crystal Palace's five victories in the Europa Conference League this season have been by a margin of two goals or more.
- AEK Larnaca have won just one of their last four matches in all competitions.
- Fewer than two goals have been scored in each of AEK Larnaca's last five European fixtures.
Crystal Palace vs AEK Larnaca preview: Eagles to soar to victory
| Crystal Palace | vs | AEK Larnaca |
|---|---|---|
| 13th | Position | 3rd |
| 38 | Points | 50 |
| 33 | Goals For | 47 |
| 35 | Goals Against | 22 |
| 10 | Clean Sheets | 7 |
| 15th | Home Rank | 4th |
| 5th | Away Rank | 3rd |
Crystal Palace may not appear the stronger of the two teams on the tale of the tape, but the fact that they play in the Premier League while their opponents play in the Cypriot First Division is a key bit of context worth considering.
The Eagles have had a rollercoaster of a season in all competitions, but crucially, they are currently on an upward curve, having won three of their last four matches in all competitions, including a 3-1 victory away to Tottenham last time out.
In terms of the Europa Conference League specifically, Palace were expected to enjoy more dominance than they have, but they do appear to be becoming more comfortable on this stage. The Premier League side are unbeaten across their last four European fixtures, and defeated Zrinjski by two goals to nil last time out.
Crystal Palace are playing in just their second-ever European knockout tie.
The injury situation at Selhurst Park has improved in recent weeks, too, but Glasner is still set to be without four first-team players on Thursday night. Daniel Munoz was forced off in the win over Tottenham, while Cheick Doucoure, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Eddie Nketiah remain in the treatment room.
The latter two injuries mean that Jorgen Strand-Larsen will continue to lead the line on Thursday night, as he looks to score his first European goal for the club.
As far as AEK Larnaca are concerned, the match has perhaps come at the wrong time. While they were in excellent form prior to their last visit to Selhurst Park, they are currently in the midst of a torrid run of form domestically, which has seen them pick up just four points from the last 12 available.
Crystal Palace recorded 15 shots against Larnaca in the league phase without scoring a goal.
As mentioned earlier, though, that win at Selhurst Park back in October will give them plenty of confidence coming into this one. It was a clinical display of counter-attacking football on that occasion, and they will be happy to play on the back foot again on Thursday.
In fact, their entire European campaign has been built on a defence-first approach. The Cypriot side have kept a clean sheet in five of their six Conference League matches this season, and if they can keep the score down on Thursday, they will give themselves a chance going into the second leg next week.
Their injury situation is much brighter than their opponents', with Yerson Chacon their Larnaca's only absentee.
Crystal Palace vs AEK Larnaca form guide & betting tips
| Crystal Palace | vs | AEK Larnaca |
|---|---|---|
| W-L-W-W-D | Form | W-D-L-L-W |
| 9 | Points | 7 |
| 5th | Form Table | 7th |
| 8 | Goals For | 7 |
| 6 | Goals Against | 5 |
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Whispers predicts: Crystal Palace 2-0 AEK Larnaca
First and foremost, this is highly unlikely to be a high-scoring match. AEK Larnaca's run of clean sheets in the Conference League is impressive, while neither of Palace's last two matches in the competition have produced more than two goals. The fact that under 2.5 goals has been priced at 13/10 by Bet365 is a surprise, to say the least.
There is no great value in backing the hosts to simply win outright (2/9 with Bet365). Instead, add the -1.5 handicap at 7/10 or a win-to-nil at 5/6.
If you fancy Strand Larsen to follow up his goal at Tottenham with another one here, then he is priced at 10/11 to score anytime and 10/3 to score first.
> Handicap - Crystal Palace -1.5 at 7/10 | Likelihood: Probable
> Total goals - Under 2.5 at 13/10 | Likelihood: Probable
> Correct score - 2-0 at 11/2 | Likelihood: Outsider