Crystal Palace begin their European campaign at home against Polish side Lech Poznan, as Pierre Sage faces slight pressure in the opening weeks as manager.
The Eagles suffered another league defeat at the weekend, falling to Ipswich Town at Selhurst Park 3-2. What complicated matters for the home side was that Axel Disasi received his marching orders after a horrible challenge in the first half, leaving Palace at a disadvantage. Crystal Palace managed the game well until the last moments as Zian Flemming grabbed the all-important winner for Ipswich Town.
That defeat now leaves Crystal Palace with four defeats in their previous six matches in all competitions, and in each of those defeats the Eagles had conceded two goals more. In fact, over 2.5 goals have been scored in four of the last five matches involving Crystal Palace. To find any success in this fixture, Crystal Palace must look towards Jørgen Strand Larsen to provide the goal threat. The Norwegian needs to find the scoring form that set him apart at Wolves, but at the weekend he was excellent in scoring despite the defeat to Ipswich Town.
Lech Poznan has already navigated their way through Europe this season, with three wins from four matches in this competition which includes a 7-0 win against Swiss side FC Thun. The visitors are in good form with three wins in their previous four matches but will face an upscale in quality against Premier League side Crystal Palace. Over 2.5 goals have been scored in seven of the last eight matches involving the visitors, so that trend is likely to continue here.
Crystal Palace 2-1 Lech Poznan
