Why 'sensational' Palace & Conference League are good fit
When the Conference League was first introduced back in 2021 there were some who questioned the value of the competition. But it has offered many teams the chance to do something they had never done before - win a major European trophy. There were wild scenes of celebration when Roma became the inaugural winners, while the following year West Ham claimed a dramatic last-minute success against Fiorentina to end their 43-year wait for a major trophy.
Thousands gathered in the streets of east London to welcome back the victorious Hammers, underlining how much the win meant to the club and their supporters. Palace fans will no doubt feel the same should their side go all the way and claim yet more silverware in a memorable 12 months. Former Crystal Palace defender James Tomkins said on TNT Sports: "The last couple of seasons have been incredible.
"They never expected to be in a European competition a couple of seasons ago but now they are going from strength to strength in this competition. Midway through this season, though, it looked like things were derailing for Palace. The man who had led them to their FA Cup triumph, Oliver Glasner, seemed on the verge of leaving after criticising the club's ownership in January for "abandoning" the team.
Palace were on a poor run of form at the time which had seen them drop down the table, while they finished 10th in the Conference League group phase. On 16 January Glasner stated he would leave at the end of the season when his contract expired - an announcement that left Palace fans concerned about the rest of the campaign. But after that confirmation and Glasner remaining in the post, the club's form steadily improved.
After beating Zrinjski Mostar over two legs in their Conference League play-off, they have since beaten AEK Larnaca and now Fiorentina to reach the last four. Key to their form in Europe has been striker Ismaila Starr, who scored his seventh goal in the competition in Thursday's 2-1 loss. Five of those seven goals have come since February, while he has scored 17 in all competitions.