Crystal Palace vs Lech Poznan – Match preview and team news | OneFootball

Crystal Palace will host Lech Poznań in their first Europa League match of the season at Selhurst Park on Thursday, as the Conference League Champions of last season look to start their European campaign on a positive note.

Crystal Palace vs Lech Poznan – Match preview and team news

Crystal Palace team news

Crystal Palace could welcome back key attackers Ismaïla Sarr and Eddie Nketiah ahead of their highly anticipated European fixture at Selhurst Park.

Manager Pierre Sage confirmed that both forwards have successfully returned to first-team training this week.

Sarr has overcome a nagging groin issue and is in contention to make his official debut under the new manager, while Nketiah is facing final fitness checks after missing the last two domestic games.

Despite these massive attacking boosts, the Eagles are still dealing with several high-profile absences across their roster. Club captain and starting goalkeeper Dean Henderson remains completely sidelined with a foot injury until after the next international break.

Jean-Philippe Mateta is ruled out due to a hamstring problem and is targeting a mid-October return. At the same time, defender Chadi Riad continues his long-term recovery from a severe knee injury.

Lech Poznan team news

Lech Poznań enters this challenging away clash dealing with a handful of significant squad disruptions. Manager Niels Frederiksen will have to reconfigure his tactical setup without several core players who failed to make the trip to London.

The most notable blow is in the centre of the pitch, where key defensive midfielder Antoni Kozubal has been officially ruled out of action.

The Polish side’s defensive depth and wide options are also heavily tested, as both Alex Douglas and Daniel Håkans remain sidelined after picking up recent injuries in domestic competition.

Additionally, creative winger Ali Gholizadeh is still unavailable for selection as he continues his lengthy rehabilitation process for a long-term injury.

Despite these heavy personnel losses, the visitors are expected to rely on the leadership of captain Mikael Ishak to spearhead their attack against Premier League opposition.

Form

Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace enter this European clash navigating a highly erratic patch of form. Pierre Sage’s side experienced a mixed start in the Premier League, suffering a frustrating 3-2 defeat against Ipswich Town last weekend. However, the Eagles can look back at a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Middlesbrough in the EFL Cup earlier this month for confidence.

Lech Poznan

Lech Poznań travel to London on the back of a generally encouraging domestic run, despite dropping points in their last outing. The Polish side fell to a narrow 2-1 defeat against Górnik Zabrze over the weekend, snapping a dominant streak in the Ekstraklasa. Before that slip-up, they were in stellar form, recording consecutive league wins against Raków and Jagiellonia, alongside an emphatic 7-0 aggregate demolition of FC Thun in the qualifiers.

Predicted lineups

Crystal Palace: Benitez; Mingueza, Richards, Ahanor; Khalaily, Timber, Wharton, Chilwell; Kamada, Pino; Strand Larsen

Lech Poznan: Lis; Pereira, Skrzypczak, Monka, Gurgul; Murawski, Berggren; Walemark, Rodriguez, Sayyadmanesh; Ishak

How to watch Crystal Palace vs Lech Poznan?

In the UK, you can watch the Crystal Palace vs Lech Poznań match live on TNT Sports 1.

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