Easy win for Palace, or not?
2025-12-18
分享比赛
The Conference League group stage reaches its climax on Thursday, when Kuopion Palloseura travel to London to face FA Cup winners Crystal Palace.
A win would almost certainly send KuPS into the knockout rounds, while a draw could also be enough depending on other results. On paper, the matchup looks one-sided: Palace sit fifth in the Premier League and are in strong form, while KuPS’s Veikkausliiga season ended in early November.
Palace, however, face a severe fixture congestion. They play KuPS on Thursday, Leeds away on Saturday, and Arsenal away in the League Cup quarter-finals just three days later. As a result, manager Oliver Glasner is expected to rotate heavily and avoid overloading key players such as Jean-Phillippe Mateta, Yeremy Pino, and Marc Guéhi. Injuries to Daichi Kamada and Daniel Muñoz further complicate Palace’s situation.
Glasner has confirmed that no player will start both the KuPS and Leeds matches and has played down the importance of finishing in the Conference League’s top eight. This opens the door for academy graduates and less-used squad players to feature prominently.
KuPS arrive in a very different position. Head coach Jarkko Wiss described the squad’s condition as excellent, with 22 fit outfield players and three goalkeepers available. Only Samuel Pasanen and Arttu Heinonen remain sidelined.
KuPS have stayed match-ready through friendlies since the domestic season ended and have focused on preserving their identity throughout the group stage. Wiss expects a tough match regardless of Palace’s lineup but believes his side have been competitive and capable of earning more points than they currently have.
After Thursday, KuPS will briefly rest. If they advance, the knockout phase begins early in the new year — though Wiss will not be on the sidelines then, as he takes over as head coach of SJK in January.
Good luck mates, prepare for a shock result!
该文章通过有道机器翻译，仅供参考:
周四，联赛小组赛将达到高潮，帕洛塞乌拉将前往伦敦迎战足总杯冠军水晶宫。
一场胜利几乎肯定会让up进入淘汰赛，而根据其他结果，一场平局也足够了。从纸面上看，这场比赛看起来是一边倒的：水晶宫在英超排名第五，状态强劲，而库普斯的维考斯利亚赛季在11月初结束。
然而，白金汉宫面临着严重的赛程拥堵。他们将在周四对阵up，周六客场对阵利兹，三天后将在联赛杯四分之一决赛中客场对阵阿森纳。因此，主教练奥利弗·格拉斯纳预计会进行大量轮换，以避免让让-菲利普·马塔、耶里米·皮诺和马克·古萨希等关键球员超负荷。神田大一和丹尼尔Muñoz的受伤使宫殿队的处境更加复杂。
格拉斯纳已经确认没有球员会同时在与利兹联的比赛中首发，并淡化了进入联盟前八的重要性。这为学院毕业生和不太常用的球员打开了突出表现的大门。
up到达一个非常不同的位置。主教练维斯称球队的状态非常好，有22名健康的外场球员和3名门将可以上场。只有萨缪尔·帕萨宁和阿图·海诺宁还在观望。
自国内赛季结束以来，up队一直在友谊赛中保持备战状态，并在整个小组赛阶段都专注于保持自己的身份。维斯预计无论水晶宫的阵容如何，这将是一场艰难的比赛，但他相信他的球队有竞争力，有能力比现在获得更多的积分。
周四之后，up将短暂休息。如果他们晋级，淘汰赛阶段将在明年年初开始——不过届时瑞士将不会袖手旁观，因为他将于明年1月接任SJK的主教练。
祝你好运，朋友们，准备好一个令人震惊的结果吧！
