Besiktas and Crystal Palace meet on Thursday night in the UEFA Europa League, with the visitors in a spot of bother owing to the pressure of recent results.
Besiktas have made an excellent start to their Europa League campaign, winning both of their opening matches. They began with a convincing 4-1 victory over Marseille before producing a dramatic 3-2 away win against Hoffenheim, with Oh Hyeon-gyu scoring twice late in the match.
The Turkish side have scored seven goals in the competition, the joint-highest total after two rounds. Their performances have shown attacking quality and resilience, although they suffered a setback at the weekend when Trabzonspor defeated them 2-0 in the Turkish Super Lig.
Vincenzo Italiano’s team will now look to return to winning ways at home. Besiktas have won each of their last four European matches at their own stadium, and another victory would give them a perfect start to their home campaign. However, they have never won five consecutive European home matches, giving Thursday’s fixture another piece of history to chase.
Crystal Palace’s confidence has taken a major blow after their 5-0 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday. The Eagles conceded three goals inside the first ten minutes and never recovered, leaving Sage to describe the performance as one of the worst that he has had in recent times.
The result was Palace’s fourth defeat in seven Premier League matches, and they have now conceded 17 goals, the highest total in the division. Sage is expected to receive more time to address the defensive problems, but another poor result could increase the pressure surrounding his position.
Palace began their Europa League campaign positively with a 4-0 victory over Lech Poznan. However, they lost 3-2 to Lyon in France last week, despite second-half goals from Yeremy Pino and Daichi Kamada. The Eagles are now seeking to avoid a third consecutive defeat and improve an away record that has seen them win only two of their last 11 matches on the road.
Team News & Tactics
Besiktas
Besiktas will be without winger Milot Rashica, who is dealing with a hamstring injury and has not been included in the club’s UEFA Europa League squad. Key midfielder Orkun Kokcu is also unavailable with a foot problem and is not expected to return to action until at least next month
Dusan Vlahovic has scored six goals in six Super Lig appearances, although he is still waiting for his first Europa League goal. The Serbian striker missed the victory over TSG Hoffenheim through illness but is expected to compete with Oh Hyeon-gyu for a starting place.
Leandro Trossard, Wilfred Ndidi, and Emmanuel Agbadou are all strong candidates to start. Trossard could operate from the left, Ndidi may return to midfield, and Agbadou could feature in central defence.
Probable lineup (4-3-3): Nubel; Murillo, Agbadou, Topcu, Yilmaz; Ozcan, Ndidi, Olaitan; Fakili, Vlahovic, Trossard
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace remain without long-term absentee Chadi Riad, who is recovering from a knee injury. Dean Henderson, Ben Chilwell, and Takehiro Tomiyasu are also doubts after missing the defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion, with all three players set to undergo further assessments.
Axel Disasi is available again after serving a domestic suspension and could return to the starting lineup. He may join Jaydee Canvot and Chris Richards in the back three, while Oscar Mingueza could replace Anan Khalaili at right wing-back.
Yeremy Pino may start in the final third alongside Ismaila Sarr and Jorgen Strand Larsen. Palace will need greater defensive protection from their midfield and wing-backs if they are to avoid another difficult evening.
Probable lineup (3-4-2-1): Benitez; Richards, Disasi, Canvot; Mingueza, Timber, Wharton, Mitchell; Pino, Sarr; Strand Larsen
Player to Watch
Dusan Vlahovic
Vlahovic has enjoyed a fantastic start to life at Besiktas, scoring six goals in as many league games in Turkey, although he is desperate to open his account in Europe. The game against Crystal Palace might fall at the right time for the in-form Serb to trouble their backline, which currently is in disarray.
As seen in recent games that Crystal Palace have played, they do fail to deal with a physical striker, and Vlahovic could have a great time on the pitch. Given his star presence, the Besiktas striker is the man to watch against this Palace backline.
Prediction
Besiktas 2-1 Crystal Palace
Besiktas have been excellent in the UEFA Europa League so far and will benefit from home advantage. Although their defeat to Trabzonspor showed that they can be vulnerable, Vincenzo Italiano’s team have generally looked confident in attack and capable of creating chances.
Crystal Palace need a response after their heavy loss to Brighton, but the defensive problems exposed in that match will not disappear overnight. Sage may make changes, yet Besiktas have enough attacking quality to test the Eagles throughout the match, which could see the hosts edge the visitors with a narrow scoreline.