Crystal Palace vs KuPS prediction: EUROPE: Conference League – League phase betting tips on match 2025-12-17 20:00.
[p]Ahead of the final matchday of the UEFA Conference League league phase, both Crystal Palace and KuPS need victories to aid their respective qualification pushes.[/p]
[p]Match News and Current Form[/p]
[p]Simply avoiding defeat here will be enough to confirm Crystal Palace’s spot in the knockout stage, but the Eagles will be keen to secure the victory that will likely see them finish in the top eight. A thumping 3-0 win against Shelbourne on matchday five showed how dominant Oliver Glasner’s men can be in this competition, although they were brought crashing back down to earth at the weekend when Manchester City beat them 3-0 at Selhurst Park. A swift return to home soil offers Palace a chance to end their three-match winless run in south London (D1, L2), but considering their last two Conference League wins were followed up by defeats on the following matchday, that seems far from a foregone conclusion.[/p]
[p]KuPS start this final round outside of the top 24 placings and realistically need to win here to give themselves a fighting chance of progressing on their debut in a European group/league phase. The Finnish side have been out of competitive domestic action since early November owing to how the Veikkausliiga calendar falls, but having won the Championship group for a second season running, they’re at least assured of a return to Europe in next season’s Champions League qualifying rounds. That may prove to be the consolation prize for them here, as seven scoring blanks from their last eight European away trips (W1, D3, L4) hint at a miserable evening in the English capital.[/p]
[p]Head-to-Head History[/p]
[p]This will be an inaugural H2H against an opponent from the opposition’s country for both of these sides.[/p]
[p]Hot Stats and Streaks[/p]
[p]The away side on the day has won Palace’s last five matches.[/p]
[p]Palace have conceded all four of their league phase goals after half-time.[/p]
[p]Only league phase games involving AEK Larnaca (1) saw fewer first-half goals than KuPS’ matches this term (2).[/p]
[p]Just one of KuPS’ last seven competitive away games saw both teams score. [/p]
[p]Key Players to Watch and Missing Players[/p]
[p]Eddie Nketiah has scored the second goal of the game in two league phase outings this season, and Palace have won on his last eight scoring appearances. Jaakko Oksanen’s last three KuPS strikes all came in European competition, with all three either opening or closing the scoring. [/p]
[p]Palace saw Daichi Kamada limp off with a hamstring injury on Sunday, while Samuel Pasanen has missed KuPS’ last two Conference League games. [/p]
[p]For all the latest team news, please check the Flashscore match centre.[/p]
[p]Betting Analysis[/p]
[p]With KuPS’ tendency for drawing scoring blanks on the road in Europe, we’re backing a Palace win to nil. [/p]
[p][i]Author: Chris Wilson[/i][/p]