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Boos rang out at the full time whistle at Selhurst Park last week, as Crystal Palace were held to a 0-0 draw by AEK Larnaca. That was a shock result, and the Eagles now face the long trip to Cyprus for the second leg, but they will be hopeful that they can atone for their mistakes. Crystal Palace are still favourites to secure progression to the Conference League quarter-finals, but they will have to be more clinical in the final third. 

Palace recorded 13 shots and six big chances worth 1.98 xG in the first leg, but were denied by four crucial saves from Zlatan Alomerovic between the sticks. Oliver Glasner’s men came close on several occasions, but were just unable to find the decisive finish. In return, Larnaca were barely able to lay a glove on the hosts, and they managed just two shots in return.

Troy Parrott bagged himself a brace in the first leg against Sparta Prague, helping his side to a 2-1 win at the AFAS Stadium. However, the Dutch side really deserved more, as they racked up 27 shots and eight big chances. Sparta Prague would probably have been happy with the 2-1 scoreline in the end, knowing that they are still firmly in the tie, and the Epet Arena can be a difficult away day for visiting sides. They beat Slovacko 5-2 at the weekend. Sparta Prague have played six European matches on home turf this season, and they have landed this selection in five of those matches. 

Meanwhile, AZ haven’t been anywhere near as convincing on their travels, and they have lost five of their last seven away matches across all competitions. They conceded twice against both PSV and Utrecht recently, and this promises to be another difficult away game for them.

Larnaca have proven they can be a stubborn unit to face, and they are currently unbeaten in the Conference League after seven matches. They even managed to beat Palace in the league phase, but that was the definition of a smash-and-grab. Palace again dominated possession, and they registered 15 shots worth 1.76 xG. Larnaca managed just four shots worth 0.2 xG in return, but they were efficient in front of goal, and came away with a 1-0 win. 

This selection has landed in both head-to-head meetings between the sides, and Palace cleared this line on their own in the first leg. The Eagles managed eight corners in the first meeting, and six in the second. With the tie still hanging in the balance, Larnaca could open up a bit more, and they have registered at least five corners in all of their home matches in the Conference League this season. 

Adam Wharton is averaging 1.19 shots per 90 across all competitions this term, which is nothing to write home about, but he has shown a considerable increase in shots when playing in the Conference League. He was benched against Larnaca in the league phase, but Wharton managed one shot against the Cypriot side in the round of 16 first leg. That was a speculative effort which came from outside the box, and went well wide. Wharton has shown he is not shy to try his luck from range, and 19 of his 26 shots in the Premier League this season have come from outside the box. 

The 22-year-old is averaging 1.71 shots per 90 on the European stage this season, and he has hit this mark in six out of eight appearances in the competition. That includes all four away games, including three shots against Zrinjski in the previous knockout round. 

Evan Guessand was wasteful in the first leg, as he missed three big chances. The Ivory Coast international has adapted well to life in South London, and has been an important player for the Eagles in recent weeks, but he was partially responsible for goalless first leg, and will want to make amends. 

He will find confidence from the fact that he was able to pick up such promising positions, though, and the winger should be able to do the same on Thursday night. Guessand had four shots in the first leg, and two hit the target. Against Zrinjski in the previous knockout round, Guessand also had plenty of success going forward, and helped his side qualify for the Conference League round of 16. He had three shots, with two on target, and eventually scored in the 93rd minute to make the aggregate score 3-1.