AC Fiorentina

vs

Crystal Palace

Preview

Fiorentina

• Fiorentina are 16th in Serie A on 32 points from 31 games.
• La Viola have been inconsistent in Serie A and Europe recently, despite beating Raków Czestochowa in the previous round.
• Paolo Vanoli was appointed to steady the ship in November and his team have been more flexible and aggressive, with their wing-backs now pushing on to provide width.
• Moise Kean is still La Viola’s top scorer in the league and will be key to any comeback.

Crystal Palace

• Despite the short turnaround, Crystal Palace should hold their nerve and finish the job on Thursday by defeating Fiorentina again and flying through to the semi-finals of the UEFA Conference League 2025-2026.
• Oliver Glasner has installed a pressing system that is as high-intensity as any in Europe.
• The Eagles’ ability to win the ball in advanced positions and counter-attack quickly with tempo and numbers made a 3-0 win in the first leg.
• Jean-Philippe Mateta made an instant impact on his return to Palace’s starting lineup, scoring from the spot.
• Ismaïla Sarr’s pace and ability to exploit space on the break made him an ever-present threat on the counter.
• Palace are favorites to see out the tie as Fiorentina will have to attack from the start to have any chance of forcing extra-time.

Head-to-Head

Key Players

• Crystal Palace
  • Jean-Philippe Mateta made an instant impact on his return to Palace’s starting lineup, scoring from the spot.
  • Ismaïla Sarr’s pace and ability to exploit space on the break made him an ever-present threat on the counter.
• Fiorentina
  • Giovanni Fabbian will have to be more involved after a quiet first leg.
  • Daichi Kamada will have to be more involved after a quiet first leg.
  • Moise Kean will be key to any comeback.

Betting Insights

Prediction