A week on from a stunning 3-0 victory over Fiorentina in South London, Crystal Palace head to Florence to finish the job in their Conference League quarter-final second leg at Stadio Artemio Franchi.
The Italian side entered this tie having not lost a last-eight match in the competition in three appearances, but they need a roaring turnaround on home soil to avoid exiting at the earliest stage since the competition’s inception.
Match preview
Fiorentina enter their quarter-final second leg in unfamiliar territory after last week’s events in south London, where Paolo Vanoli’s side suffered a 3-0 beatdown at Selhurst Park.
The Florence-based club face the challenge of overturning a European deficit this high for the first time, despite never having lost in the tournament’s last eight during their two-time Conference League finalist and three-time semi-finalist history.
The club from the Tuscany region have found themselves in this position on three occasions, and they have ended on the losing side every time, putting their near-perfect European quarter-final record under threat.
Of their 11 last-eight ties in Europe, the Viola have won 10, only losing the 1969-70 quarter-final against Celtic.
Home supporters would have every reason to expect that their 56-year record of not losing at this stage will end this week, barring a remarkable turnaround.
With a David De Gea-inspired 1-0 win over Lazio at the weekend, all but confirming their top-flight status for another year, the Viola are now eight points clear of danger with six games to play, fans will hope players at the other end of the pitch are the ones in exceptional form when Palace visit Florence on Thursday.
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Recognising their hosts’ winless streak against English teams, with three losses and one draw, Oliver Glasner’s men will aim to extend it to five, even though the Eagles might find themselves torn between wanting to add to their lead and protecting their current position.
This is all new to Palace, who head into a European second leg with a margin of first-leg victory this high, with an impressive first half in south London putting them in a healthy position before Ismaila Sarr netted a late third to improve their chances of reaching the last four.
Sarr in particular has come alive in the competition’s knockout rounds, scoring four of his six Conference League goals since the start of February, three of which have come across the most recent two rounds, a brace to decide the last-16 tie against AEK Larnaca and one to make Fiorentina’s chances of a comeback doubly challenging.
The debutants thus look to be riding the wave of their ongoing momentum, which has seen them lose just one of their last 10 matches in all competitions, a 2-1 defeat by Manchester United at the start of March, having fallen to nine losses in 14 previous matches between mid-December and mid-February.
Carrying a lead this high into the second leg of a European tie for the first time, Palace will hope to draw on Glasner’s European expertise to navigate any possible ebbs and flows on Thursday night.
Fiorentina Conference League form:
Fiorentina form (all competitions):
Crystal Palace Conference League form:
Crystal Palace form (all competitions):
Team News
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Influential wide defender Dodo will miss the second leg due to a booking in the reverse fixture, while Marin Pongracic, Pietro Comuzzo, Rolando Mandragora, Cher Ndour, Nicolo Fagioli and Albert Gudmundsson risk a one-match ban if they receive another caution as they aim to advance to the semis.
Although Moise Kean has barely pulled up trees in Europe this season, the forward, who has eight Serie A goals, is doubtful for Thursday with a calf injury.
While Fabiano Parisi and Niccolo Fortini are also uncertain to play any part, the hosts are definitely without Tariq Lamptey because of a knee injury.
In Keans potential absence, the Viola will lean on Roberto Piccoli, Albert Gudmundsson and Cher Ndour for inspiration as all three aim to add to their three Conference League goals.
Palace will look no further than Sarr for match-winning quality, with the Senegal forward scoring six times in this season’s Conference League; only Samsunspor’s Marius Mouandilmadji and Lech Poznan’s Mikael Ishak (both on eight) have netted more.
Four of Sarr’s goals have come after the league phase, underlining his decisive quality for the Eagles, who will hope for more of the same from their leading marksman in Europe.
Including a penalty in the reverse fixture, Jean-Philippe Mateta has netted three goals in two games, and the forward aims to score in three consecutive matches for the first time this season.
While Palace have a relatively healthy squad, Glasner must make do without Eddy Nketiah (thigh) and long-term absentee Cheick Doucoure, who has not played for the first team since January 2025, while Evann Gueessand is carrying a knock.
Fiorentina possible starting lineup:
De Gea; Comuzzo, Pongracic, Ranieri, Gosens; Fabbian, Fagioli, Ndour; Harrison, Piccoli, Gudmundsson
Crystal Palace possible starting lineup:
Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Canvot; Munoz, Wharton, Kamada, Mitchell; Sarr, Mateta, Pino
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We say: Fiorentina 2-1 Crystal Palace (Crystal Palace win 4-2 on aggregate)
All good things come to an end, and Fiorentina’s streak of never losing in the Conference League quarter-final is likely to be snapped by Palace.
Although the Viola are favoured to win the match, they are unlikely to score enough goals to advance, allowing Palace to reach their first European semi-final.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.