Kickoff: Thursday October 22 8pm GMT / 3pm ET / 12pm PT
There are few tougher places to go to Istanbul. Even tougher when you’re off the back of a 5-0 thrashing by your local rivals and heading to a team that has a 100% record in the competition so far.
That’s the task facing Premier League Crystal Palace as they face Turkish giants Besiktas.
Beşiktaş Form
Beşiktaş are one of 10 sides to have a perfect record of two wins from two in the Europa League group phase so far and are particularly strong at home. Despite shaky away form, Beşiktaş are unbeaten in front of their own fans this season, scoring 21 goals and conceding just four. That run includes wins over Midtjylland and Kauno Žalgiris in qualifying and a demolition of Marseille.
They thrashed Marseille 4-1 on the opening matchday. Last Thursday they went to Germany and won 3-2 at Hoffenheim, ending a run of five straight defeats against German opposition.
Palace Form
The Eagles head to Istanbul tonight in need of a reaction from a humiliating defeat at rivals Brighton at the weekend, which has increased the pressure on new boss Pierre Sage.
This came three days after defeat to Lyon in the Europa League, with a poor first half seeing them trail 2-0 at the interval. Palace rallied in the second half but still went down 3-2.
That leaves Palace with five defeats in all competitions this season but it’s not all doom and gloom. While the defence has to be Sage’s priority – they are leaking over two goals per game – they have showed that they can score goals, and the return of Ismaila Sarr from injury is a big plus. If Jean-Philippe Mateta, who has been close to fitness for a couple of weeks, is available it will provide Sage with a huge boost.
The 4-0 Europa League win over Lech Poznań shows that Palace can more than compete at this level. Consistency though is what is letting them down at the moment and Besitkas will relish having a go at a team that has conceded eight goals in two away games in four days.
The Managers
Both men arrived in June and both are early in their projects.
Beşiktaş boss Vincenzo Italiano’s reputation comes from Italy. At Fiorentina he reached two European finals, so knockout-style European football is familiar to him. He signed a deal at Beşiktaş running to the end of the 2027-28 season, and became the club’s 11th manager in five years. That turnover shows how impatient the club is. Beşiktaş last won the Turkish title in 2021 and have struggled since to keep up with Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe. Italiano’s teams press high and attack, and the board backed him with big-name signings.
Pierre Sage has a hard act to follow, taking over from Oliver Glasner, who left in the summer for Premier League side Nottingham Forest. Glasner gave Palace their first major trophies: the FA Cup, Community Shield and Conference League. Sage arrived from Lens, where he won the Coupe de France for the first time in the club’s history and qualified for the Champions League. Palace liked him partly because his preferred system is similar to Glasner’s: three centre-backs, wing-backs and a single striker. At Lens his sides played at high tempo, breaking quickly and getting the ball wide early.
Sage is under some pressure after the Brighton result, and while the team is doing okay, defensively they have looked chaotic.
Key Players
Beşiktaş spent heavily in the summer, and their forward line will be familiar to English fans. Leandro Trossard joined from Arsenal in mid-July, and Dušan Vlahović arrived on a three-year deal after his contract at Juventus ran out. Both started at Trabzon. Vlahović’s fitness is worth watching: his last season in Turin was disrupted by thigh and calf problems, and he scored just seven league goals.
The in-form forward is Oh Hyeon-gyu. At Hoffenheim he scored twice and set up the other goal, and Flashscore named him man of the match. Further back, Wilfred Ndidi gives the midfield protection, and right-back Michael Murillo scored the opener at Hoffenheim.
For Palace, Daichi Kamada is the creative player to watch and is enjoying a good season. He leads the team in league assists with three and scored at Lyon. Adam Wharton sets the tempo from deep, and Yeremy Pino has been one of the more threatening forwards. Palace are desperate for the return of Mateta to boost the goals column and provide the vital link up play at the top end of the pitch; even if Jorgen Strand Larsen has been a reasonable deputy, he doesn’t have the goals in him that the Frenchman has.
Prediction
Palace have been better than the Brighton game suggests, and they have scored in most of their European games. The concern is defending: they have conceded at least twice in each of their last two away fixtures. Beşiktaş are tired after Monday, but their home crowd lifts them, and they have the forwards to punish mistakes.
Expect Palace to score but Beşiktaş’s home form looks like it could be decisive in what might be a narrow home win.
Nick has enjoyed a highly successful career in journalism and the media. He spent 23 years in the UK national print media, including 15 years on the Daily Telegraph as a senior reporter. He is also an experienced commentator and communications expert. His broadcast appearances include Newsnight, Sky News, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Television, BBC Radio Scotland and local television in Scotland and England. He currently hosts The Road to World Cup 26 podcast.
