Crystal Palace's Chaotic Season Could End in European Glory
It has been one of the most turbulent campaigns in Crystal Palace history. Key players have departed, the manager has publicly criticised the board, and supporters have held up banners calling for change. Yet somehow, the Eagles find themselves marching into the Conference League last 16 with genuine aspirations of lifting a European trophy for the first time.
A Rollercoaster 12 Months at Selhurst Park
The past year has been nothing short of extraordinary for Palace fans. Last May they won their first ever major trophy, beating Manchester City in the FA Cup final. Three months later they added the Community Shield with a penalty shootout victory over Liverpool. Two pieces of silverware in the space of a single summer. It felt like the start of something special.
But the transfer window that followed brought turmoil. Star winger Eberechi Eze departed for Arsenal. Club captain Marc Guehi, who had initially been linked with a move to Liverpool, eventually signed for Manchester City five months later. Top scorer Jean-Philippe Mateta came agonisingly close to joining AC Milan, only for the deal to collapse after a failed medical.
Then came the bombshell in January. Oliver Glasner, the most successful manager in the club's history, announced he would be leaving at the end of the season. He then accused the board of having "abandoned" the squad, comments that appeared to mark the end of his reign. Remarkably, he has stayed in the job, though the relationship with supporters has grown increasingly strained. Fans unfurled a banner before Sunday's 1-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers declaring the Austrian was "finished".
Despite all the chaos, Palace keep winning when it matters most.
Back-to-Back Wins at Selhurst Park
A 2-0 victory over Bosnian side Zrinjski on Thursday evening sealed a 3-1 aggregate triumph and a place in the Conference League knockout rounds. Goals from Maxence Lacroix and Evann Guessand had Selhurst Park rocking, with the atmosphere reminiscent of those famous European nights that supporters had dreamed about for decades.
Captain Dean Henderson was in typically bullish mood afterwards. "I don't know what all the fuss was about," he joked. "We're hungry for more silverware but you don't talk about winning it three months out. It's knockout football and we go into it with confidence. You see the supporters get into the stadium early and Selhurst was rocking tonight and we can make it a fortress."
The result came on the back of that narrow win over Wolves, meaning Palace have now strung together consecutive victories for the first time since a difficult 12-game winless run that stretched from December into February.
Glasner, meanwhile, insists he retains the full backing of the club's hierarchy. "100%," he said when asked whether his position was secure. "There's so much noise, sometimes you really don't understand it. Maybe I gave some interviews that were not helpful and I have to admit that, but I'm always telling what I'm feeling. It's how I am."
He added: "We have a great togetherness in the group. Players, staff, really positive. The same with the sporting director and the chairman. They are sometimes wondering, 'Hey, this is the second-best Premier League season ever'. The best was last year. So maybe the best two years in Crystal Palace's history, playing European football for the first time."
Favourites to Go All the Way
The Conference League is only in its fifth season, but English clubs have already established dominance. West Ham lifted the inaugural trophy in 2023 and Chelsea followed in 2025, meaning two of the competition's first four winners have come from the Premier League.
Palace have been the bookmakers' favourites from the outset of this campaign, even though they only finished 10th in the league phase and needed two legs against Bosnian champions Zrinjski to progress. Friday's draw at 13:00 GMT will determine whether they face German side Mainz, currently 13th in the Bundesliga, or Cypriot outfit Larnaca, who managed just seven goals across six league phase matches. Larnaca did beat Palace 1-0 back in October, but few would fancy either team over two legs against a side with genuine knockout pedigree.
Former Palace defender James Tomkins believes the opportunity is too good to waste. "They are favourites to go on and win it from here," he said. "The opportunity they've got is incredible. To add a third trophy in two seasons would be remarkable and beyond the wildest dreams of the fans."
A Strong Finish on Two Fronts
In the Premier League, Palace sit 13th, 10 points clear of the relegation zone and just three behind eighth place. That position could be enough to secure European football again next season, meaning the Eagles are fighting on two fronts heading into the spring.
The injury situation is also easing at precisely the right moment. Mateta, who remains at the club despite the collapsed Milan move, and key midfielder Jefferson Lerma are both expected to return within a fortnight. Their availability could prove decisive as the fixtures begin to pile up.
"It means a lot. We have not had easy days but now back-to-back wins at Selhurst Park," Glasner said. "Since day one we have had a great relationship with the fans. Yes, they have been a bit critical but they can be when the results and performances are not there."
He added: "We are in a good position in the Premier League, three points behind position eight, and in the last 16 of the Conference League. Now it is different to the autumn when we were playing three competitions, 12 weeks playing every third day."
For Crystal Palace supporters, the most chaotic of seasons could yet deliver the most glorious of endings. A first European trophy would cap a period that has tested every emotion, and with Selhurst Park back to its raucous best, few would bet against the Eagles soaring to new heights before the campaign is through.