Crystal Palace vs Fiorentina: Preview

Enjoy the ball, Goose, because that’s probably as much of it you’ll get in this one. | Photo by Mattia Ozbot - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images A suddenly almost vaguely competent Fiorentina hits the road, or rather the sky, for another midweek Conference League game, heading to south London to take on Crystal Palace. At the start of the season, these were probably the two favorites to win the whole thing.

Both have rather slumped domestically, ranking 14th and 15th in their respective leagues, although the English side is at least comfortably mid-table rather than huffing and puffing to escape relegation. The match will be played on Thursday, 9 April 2026 , at 20:00 GMT/3:00 PM EST , at Selhurst Park in London. The forecast calls for a crisp, gusty evening.

Should be a perfect atmosphere, especially since the Eagles are reporting a sellout crowd, including 1250 Viola supporters making the trip; pending the result, this could be the final trip of the season, so hopefully everyone has a good time and behaves well. Three things to watch for 1. Who plays?

After easing past Hellas Verona , Fiorentina has a finger on securing Serie A survival. Paolo Vanoli deserves so much credit for the work he’s done turning this bunch from utterly listless to moderately listful ( even if he won’t get it ). Outside of switching to a back 4 in December, his tweaks have been less about tactics and more more about emotional management, instilling his players with equal parts grinta and confidence.