Crystal Palace – Fiorentina

The London club will start a duel against guests from Florence with a victory

Crystal Palace began the current football year with great enthusiasm. At the end of last season, after becoming FA Cup champions and winning the FA Community Shield, the fans of the London club looked to the future with optimism. However, all the prospects of the Glassers began to fade as the team's leaders were sold one after another since the summer. Undoubtedly, some weakening of the squad has had consequences not only on the pitch but also off it. Oliver Glasner, the main architect of Crystal Palace's historic successes, plans to leave the club at the end of the season when his current contract expires. On the European stage the Glassers remain favorites for the continent's third-ranked tournament. Fiorentina intends to hinder the English club's progress, as they have so many problems that they could share them. The Viola are true specialists in the Europa Conference League. In the last three editions, the Florentines reached the semi-finals once and participated in losing finals twice. Today it can be confidently said that this season the Viola will not reach the Europa Conference League for the fifth consecutive time. Indeed, they would at least avoid relegation from Serie A, where in the last weeks they managed to move five points clear of the relegation zone. Bookmakers have set the home side as the favorites for the upcoming match, offering odds of 1.71 on their victory. The Europa Conference League is Crystal Palace's last serious motivation this season. From national cups the team has long since been knocked out, and in the Premier League they sit in a safe position in the middle of the table. Undoubtedly, the Glassers at home will aim for a winning result and will deploy all their playing possibilities. Italian football is in deep mourning after yet another miss by the national team of the World Cup. Against this backdrop, the Viola have put together a six-match unbeaten streak, which gives them confidence for a successful game in London. The other thing is that the visitors have far fewer resources; Crystal Palace outclass them at almost every position. The English club will begin the duel with a victory.