Crystal Palace host AEK Larnaca in the Europa Conference League round-of-16 first leg on Thursday night, with Oliver Glasner handed a timely injury boost before a rematch with the side that already won at Selhurst Park this season.
Crystal Palace return to Selhurst Park on Thursday night for the first leg of their Europa Conference League round-of-16 tie against AEK Larnaca, with kick-off at 20:00 GMT and the return leg in Cyprus set for 19 March.
Palace reached this stage by edging past Zrinjski Mostar 3-1 on aggregate in the knockout phase play-off, sealing progression with a 2-0 home win in the second leg. AEK, by contrast, qualified automatically for the last 16 after finishing eighth in the league phase, helped by that victory at Selhurst and an unbeaten league-phase campaign that also included a 4-0 win over AZ Alkmaar.
Team news gives Glasner options
The immediate positive for Palace is that the squad looks healthier than it did a week ago. Maxence Lacroix is back from suspension and available, whilst Jefferson Lerma is fit after returning to the squad against Tottenham. Jean-Philippe Mateta is also back in contention after resuming training this week. Glasner said Mateta is not ready for 90 minutes, but his return still gives Palace another attacking option at an important stage of the competition.
There is one notable absence. Daniel Muñoz will miss the first leg after suffering a shoulder injury in the win at Tottenham, although Glasner said the Colombia international is working towards being ready for Sunday’s Premier League game against Leeds United. That is a significant setback given Muñoz’s energy on the right and his importance in transition.
Recent form points Palace in the right direction
Palace head into the tie on the back of a 3-1 win at Tottenham, a result that moved them up to 13th in the Premier League and continued a useful run of form. Palace have lost just once in their last five in the Conference League, scoring 14 goals in the competition at an average of 1.75 per match, conceded only seven.
It is already a familiar match-up. AEK won 1-0 in south London during the league phase in October, and that result still stands as a useful warning for Glasner’s side despite Palace arriving in stronger domestic form. Palace dominated much of the game but were undone by a second-half goal from Riad Bajić. Glasner said afterwards that Palace and the wider environment “needed it to stay humble”, and there is likely to be an element of that lesson in the approach to the first leg.
Why AEK remain awkward opponents
The Cypriot side went unbeaten through the league phase, beat AZ heavily on the opening matchday and have previous experience of reaching this stage, having made the last 16 in 2022/23 before losing to eventual winners West Ham. They also arrive with the confidence of knowing they have already won at Selhurst once this season.
If Palace can turn that added depth into a stronger first-leg performance, the tie should still be in a good place before the trip to Larnaca next week