Crystal Palace learn Conference League opponentspublished at 12:51 BST 29 August
12:51 BST 29 August
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Crystal Palace's Conference League draw is complete and Oliver Glasner's side now know which six clubs they will meet in the 36-team league format, which was used for the first time last season.
The Conference League fixture list will be released no later than Sunday, 31 August.
Watch and follow Europa League and Conference League draw livepublished at 11:53 BST 29 August
11:53 BST 29 August
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There are two Premier League teams in this season's Europa League and one in the Conference League.
Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa are about to find out the eight teams they will face in the league phase of the 2025-26 Europa League, while Crystal Palace will learn their six opponents for the league phase of the Conference League.
'Very flat' but 'job done' - fans on European progresspublished at 07:55 BST 29 August
07:55 BST 29 August
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We asked for your views on Crystal Palace's performance away to Fredrikstad, which ended in a stalemate.
Here are some of your comments:
Dave: We know it was an underwhelming performance, and we know we're in need of reinforcements in attack (and probably defence with Guehi likely to leave), but I find Oliver Glasner so reassuring. Whenever he speaks, he is honest and open; he doesn't sugar coat anything, but he also speaks with positivity. He feels like an incredibly safe pair of hands.
Mike: Job done! A great achievement. Now it's time to get the chequebook out, Mr Parish. The squad lacks depth to cope with the extra fixtures.
Karim: Difficult game in difficult conditions, which we managed to navigate, but the lack of squad depth, especially in the front three, really became apparent today. Pino is a good start, but we need at least two attacking players signed before the window closes, and cover for the defence, both centrally and on the right side.
However, there were some messages that focused more on the flat performance than the squad depth.
Adrian: Palace were very flat. Everyone was off their game - specifically, Sosa and Kamada were a waste of space. And Fredrikstad were one of the dirtiest teams I've seen in recent times. An utterly forgettable match.
Nobby: Genuinely appalling performance. I thought Sosa was the only one who played with any semblance of quality. The more pressing issue was the lack of substitutions for me, as I worry about Sunday in terms of fitness. Mateta had an appalling miss. I don't understand how Romain Esse wasn't given minutes, especially based on his cameo against Nottingham Forest, where he thoroughly impressed.
Bryn: A boring game, against a side that came with a boring, frustrating game plan. It was effective to a point, but I thought Fredrikstad would set it up with more urgency. Looking forward to playing more adventurous teams further down the line.
Gossip: Palace brace for Guehi bidpublished at 07:27 BST 29 August
07:27 BST 29 August
Crystal Palace are bracing themselves to lose captain Marc Guehi, 25, to Liverpool before Monday's deadline and want £45m for the England defender. (Express), external
Analysis: Eagles hold out but lack attacking sparkpublished at 19:40 BST 28 August
19:40 BST 28 August
Adam Millington BBC Sport journalist
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Crystal Palace came into the return tie with an aggregate lead which was anything but comfortable following a tight 1-0 win at Selhurst Park last week.
They dominated possession in that game and spent the match camped in Fredrikstad's third as the Norwegians struggled to produce any build-up play, despite a spirited display.
At home, though, it was a somewhat different story as the Palace backline - including Marc Guehi despite continued transfer speculation - were put under pressure.
Emil Holten's physicality made the Fredrikstad forward a handful, while they managed to string together good attacking moves in the final third.
They also looked to trouble Palace through set-pieces, making the most of Daniel Eid's long throws, but the visitors had them covered.
And for all their increased positivity, Fredrikstad still lacked any real bite up top to test Henderson, allowing Palace to edge through courtesy of Mateta's first-leg winner.
Having also scored just once in their two Premier League games and lost Eberechi Eze to Arsenal, Glasner's side also showed a lack of potency up front.
Defender Chris Richards flicked a header wide and Mateta was denied just before the end after having an earlier header saved, but Palace lacked the fluidity to create more chances.
While Oliver Glasner has led his side to the league phase, this testing and hard-fought play-off will show how tough the competition could be for the Eagles and how more attacking options are needed in the squad.
'Going into the group stage was our second goal'published at 19:27 BST 28 August
19:27 BST 28 August
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Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner, speaking to Channel 5: "Huge achievement - going into the group stage it was our second goal. The first one was winning the Community Shield.
"Against an opposition which is not easy to play. We had to accept it and the players did well and defended the box excellently. We know we have to and can play better in possession.
"The story of the game is we lost too many balls too easily.
"Of course, we have to improve how we play and how quickly we play.
"We have to go on a plane to come back to London.
"We achieved our second goal this season [reaching the group stages]."
On transfers: "I told everyone at the club I didn't want to talk about transfers today.
"Our job is to be successful going into the group stage. I can not be deflecting to this transfer noise."
'Everybody is super excited'published at 19:18 BST 28 August
19:18 BST 28 August
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Crystal Palace defender Chris Richards, speaking to Channel 5 after the Eagles booked their spot in the league phase of the Conference League: "We have been defending really well so we were hoping we could continue doing that.
"Every game is not going to be pretty, but as long as you get the result, that's the big thing.
"Everybody is super excited. We are an ambitious club. Now it is time to win some games in Europe. We are ready to make history.
"A hostile environment but Fredrikstad are a really good team. It wasn't pretty but we got the result we needed."
Can Pino replace Eze?published at 08:31 BST 28 August
08:31 BST 28 August
Matthew Hobbs BBC Sport journalist
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Crystal Palace are closing in on the £26m signing of Villarreal winger Yeremy Pino following Eberechi Eze's departure to Arsenal.
The 15-cap Spain international has a reported release clause of £69m but with only two years left on his Villarreal contract Pino could move to Selhurst Park as something of a bargain – but he does not represent a direct replacement for Palace's former talisman.
Like Eze, Pino is a winger, although he plays on the right, rather than the left. Pino's natural game means he hugs the touchline rather than drifts into central areas as Eze did to such great effect for the Eagles.
The skillsets of the two attackers also differ. Pino is less of a direct goal threat than Eze and dribbles on far fewer occasions, but he is effective at getting into crossing positions, provides a similar number of assists and is a more tenacious tackler – a facet of Pino's game that may prove useful for Oliver Glasner's preference to defend deep, win back possession and counter quickly.
Despite not being a direct Eze replacement, there's no doubt that Pino could prove to be an astute signing. Since breaking into the Villarreal side in 2021-22, only three players aged under 23 have made more starts in the big five European leagues - despite an ACL injury ruling Pino out of most of the 2023-24 campaign - meaning he is hugely experienced for a player in his age bracket.
Glasner on artificial pitch, staying 'humble' and European 'reward'published at 17:22 BST 27 August
17:22 BST 27 August
Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner has been speaking to the media before Thursday's Conference League second leg at Fredrikstad (kick-off 17:00 BST).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Glasner confirmed Will Hughes "can't play tomorrow, he is not available". However, Daichi Kamada is back after injury: "He is back two weeks after it. The expectations were more four to six weeks. We need to have players available and ready for the game."
The Eagles boss said they are training on Fredrikstad's artificial pitch as they have to "get used to it" with many players having not played on one for a number of years: "We have to accept it and do the best from it, and have the clear goal to win the game tomorrow. There's no tactical side to playing a little bit more passive and waiting, so we are here to win the game."
On expectations in the competition: "It would be arrogant to think when you play a competition for the first time to talk about winning it. It's the first time Palace plays outside England a competitive game, so it's important to stay humble and this is what we are doing as a team. We are going step by step."
Glasner insisted they "want to show" what they have learned from the first leg, which they won 1-0 thanks to a goal from Jean-Philippe Mateta: "Every team gets a chance and Fredrikstad had one chance at the end. We defended their set-plays very well and we didn't give them transitions, so I think we did very well. In the final third, we created good chances and were patient against their deep block."
On European football for Palace: "It is the reward for all of us. My family was in London yesterday and I went to Battersea Park with my wife and my daughter and played mini-golf. Just before us there was a family with two boys - season ticket-holders. Because we had to wait behind them, we had some small talk. We could see how they were enjoying it - they were saying 'thank you'. We could see and feel how much it meant to the Palace supporters."
He added: "The away section will be sold out tomorrow and we will give our best. We never thought this would happen. Now it has happened so we should enjoy going to Norway, enjoy this beautiful country and a nice game - and hopefully come away with a win."
On the squad's determination to win: "We all completely trust this group of players and we know we can rely on them. We know everyone travelling with us will do his best to get the win and this gives us a good feeling."
Gossip: Palace prepare Elliott talkspublished at 08:05 BST 27 August
08:05 BST 27 August
Crystal Palace are preparing for talks with Liverpool for English attacking midfielder Harvey Elliott, 22, as they accelerate plans to find a replacement for England international Eberechi Eze, 27. (Football Insider, external)
Bayer Leverkusen and Galatasaray are set to rival Crystal Palace for the signature of 30-year-old Manchester City and Switzerland defender Manuel Akanji. (Independent, external)
Real Madrid could try to sign Crystal Palace's 21-year-old England midfielder Adam Wharton if Spain midfielder Dani Ceballos, 29, leaves the club. (AS - in Spanish, external)
Crystal Palace have struck an agreement in principle with Villarreal for 22-year-old Spain midfielder Yeremy Pino in a deal that could be worth about £26m. (AS - in Spanish, external)
'A memorable' chapter - how will Eze be remembered?published at 15:46 BST 26 August
15:46 BST 26 August
Alex Pewter Fan writer
Image source, Getty Images
Amid a whirlwind of Crystal Palace stories and fixtures, there is only one topic deserving of our full focus. Eberechi Eze.
His exit, of course, is entangled with what comes next for the team, without the necessary breathing room to sit back and consider a player of such importance over the last five seasons.
The placing of Eze within the annals of Crystal Palace history had been a tricky one to ponder, at least for those who consider such questions. A year ago, I would have thought of him as an excellent player in that broad context, bordering on, if not quite at that "all-time great" level.
Yet, 2025 changed all that. In football, accolades aren't everything, but Eze has helped achieve footballing immortality for a once trophyless club, with his goals in the FA Cup last season.
Eze can be best described as being a scorer of great goals, rather than a great finisher, and both of his efforts at Wembley undoubtedly fell into that category.
While goals and assists steal the headlines, with Eze, you have to think of the player with the ball at his feet. It is often said that he glides with the football, not due to a lack of superlatives or imagination, but because that is the most appropriate word. It is a dribbling style seemingly unique to him, casual in nature, but like an escape artist, he found ways to get free of defenders.
His signing set down the marker for what Dougie Freedman was able to build in the transfer market in the years that followed, with an emphasis on young Championship talents to build around.
The final step of that process was always for Eze to leave, to fund the next generation. His own story hasn't ended, and even if the chapter in South London has closed - it was a memorable one.
For Crystal Palace, without Wilfried Zaha, Michael Olise and Ebere Eze, the team may be more about endeavour than innovation, but as ever, the season doesn't stop, and the show must go on.
The Eagles have also entered the race to sign Toulouse's French centre-back Jaydee Canvot, 19, after Aston Villa had a bid rejected. (Fabrizio Romano), external
Crystal Palace 1-1 Nottingham Forest- the fans' verdictpublished at 08:20 BST 25 August
08:20 BST 25 August
Media caption,
We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's Premier League game between Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest.
Here are some of your comments:
Palace fans
Leslie: I thought Palace had the upper hand first half but very subdued in the second half. Probably a point each way is about right, but we need some signings - and quick.
Andy: Not a bad performance, but inconsistent defending led to the equaliser, with Mitchell not goalside. Overall a positive day and we need to keep this going forward for Thursday.
Adrian: I thought we did really well considering how tired the players looked at the end and how small the squad is. Could have won the game in that first half, but Forest deserved their point in the end. Need about five new players including two attackers.
Forest fans
Sean: On any given day Crystal Palace are a very tough team to play against, even if all the headlines are about Eze. The rest of the team are still very difficult to beat, even more so at a riled-up Selhurst Park. So to come away with a battling draw, and a goal that was the result of Nuno tactically tweaking the line-up, is pleasing. Good to see some of the new signings getting some minutes too. There's some promise there. Sels made some good saves too.
John: Not enough intensity in the first half but a better second-half display - 1-1 a fair result.
Luke: A tricky hurdle, which was made even trickier by the events on Friday, has been navigated. Positives to take from the game, and arguably we should have won it with the chances at the end. You can only imagine the new signings will get better as they bed in, and you can see this squad doing well - if the Nuno situation is resolved swiftly.
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