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Crystal Palace begin another European campaign by playing Lech Poznan at Selhurst Park in the Europa League on Thursday night.
The Eagles won the Conference League last season to qualify for Europe's second-tier competition.
Lech competed in the same competition as Palace in 2025/26, and came through two qualifying rounds to reach the Europa League proper this time around.
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our today's betting tips page for more of our expert predictions.
Crystal Palace vs. Lech Poznan key stats
- Palace are unbeaten in six European home games (W4, D2).
- Lech won three of their four qualifying ties (D1).
- Lech lost three of their previous four H2Hs against English opposition (W1).
Crystal Palace vs. Lech Poznan preview: Eagles to soar to winning start?
Crystal Palace vs Lech Poznan — Tale of the Tape
| Crystal Palace | vs | Lech Poznan |
|---|---|---|
| 16th (Premier League) | Position | 3rd (Ekstraklasa) |
| 3 | Points | 16 |
| 6 | Goals For | 12 |
| 11 | Goals Against | 6 |
| 0 | Clean Sheets | 3 |
| 19th | Home / Away Rank | 6th |
Palace will be looking forward to another European campaign after winning the Conference League, but it will be harder to do the same in the Europa League as it is a step up.
The Eagles had Oliver Glasner to thank for the trophy, but Pierre Sage is still an unknown in this season's early stages.
They have not made a great start, losing three of their four Premier League games, but Europe will provide a welcome distraction.
Key attackers Ismaila Sarr and Jean-Philippe Mateta headline a long injury list too, so it will be interesting to see how many changes Sage makes from their weekend defeat to Ipswich Town.
Ali Gholizadeh is seemingly Lech's only injury absentee, and so they will be able to bring a strong squad to England.
Niels Frederiksen's side come into this off the back of a rare domestic defeat though, losing 2-1 away to Gornik Zabrze.
That ended a nine-match unbeaten run in all competitions (W8, D1), so the visitors are still in decent shape.
Lech will be underdogs here, and would likely take a draw being the first game of the league phase.
Crystal Palace vs. Lech Poznan form guide & betting tips
| Crystal Palace | vs | Lech Poznan |
|---|---|---|
LLWWL |
Form | DWWWL |
| 9 | Goals For | 9 |
| 11 | Goals Against | 7 |
N/A |
Europa League | WWD |
Whispers predicts: Crystal Palace 2-1 Lech Poznan
Palace are 4/9 (1.44) favourites to win, but while we agree with the bookies, we want to explore other bets.
BTTS – Yes at 7/8 (1.88) immediately stands out given the Eagles' struggles and Lech's strong season so far.
Having contributed to four goals in Palace's last three games (G1, A3), Daichi Kamada to score or assist at 31/20 (2.55) also appeals.
Overall, we are predicting a Correct score – 2-1 at 15/2 (8.50), as we feel Palace will edge a tight match.
> BTTS – Yes at 7/8 (1.88) | Likelihood: Probable
> Kamada to score or assist at 31/20 (2.55) | Likelihood: Possible
> Correct score – 2-1 at 15/2 (8.50) | Likelihood: Outsider