Crystal Palace will look to bounce back from their narrow defeats in the Europa League last time out when they face Besiktas away from home on Thursday at the Tupras Stadyumu.
Besiktas vs Crystal Palace – Match preview and team news
- Date: Thursday, 23rd October.
- Kick-off: 8pm BST.
- Venue: Tupras Stadyumu, Istanbul.
Besiktas team news
Besiktas faces notable selection challenges ahead of their Europa League clash under head coach Vincenzo Italiano. The Turkish side will definitely be missing club captain Orkun Kökçü, who remains sidelined with a foot and heel injury sustained during their previous European fixture against Hoffenheim.
Adding to their woes, winger Milot Rashica is completely ruled out of the contest due to a persistent thigh and hamstring muscle injury. On a positive note, former Juventus striker Dušan Vlahović is back in contention after recovering from the illness that kept him out of the Hoffenheim victory.
Vlahović is expected to battle Oh Hyeon-gyu to lead the frontline, while Leandro Trossard is heavily tipped to start on the left wing. Despite Kökçü being named in some projected lineups alongside Nübel, Murillo, Agbadou, and Topcu, his official absence means Italiano must engineer a late tactical adjustment in midfield.
Crystal Palace team news
Crystal Palace enters the fixture plagued by a severe defensive shortage for manager Pierre Sage. The Eagles remain without long-term absentee Chadi Riad due to a knee injury.
Furthermore, key defensive figures Dean Henderson, Ben Chilwell, and Takehiro Tomiyasu all missed the recent Brighton match and remain entirely unavailable for selection.
To steady the backline, Axel Disasi returns from a domestic suspension and is expected to anchor a makeshift back three alongside young Jaydee Canvot and Chris Richards, shielding goalkeeper Walter Benítez.
Further up the pitch, Sage has options with Mingueza, Mitchell, Timber, and Wharton anchoring the wider positions. In the attacking third, Yeremy Pino and Ismaïla Sarr are highly likely to feature out wide to support central forward Jørgen Strand Larsen, though Jean-Philippe Mateta and Daichi Kamada also remain firmly in the structural conversation for the final starting eleven.
Form
Besiktas
is experiencing a turbulent run of form across all competitions. The Turkish side is looking to bounce back immediately after suffering a disappointing 2-0 domestic defeat against Trabzonspor over the weekend. Prior to that setback, Vincenzo Italiano’s squad secured a morale-boosting victory against Hoffenheim in their previous European fixture. They will need to rediscover that continental sharpness to overcome their recent domestic inconsistency and steady their group-stage campaign.
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace enters this European clash in a state of crisis following a string of poor performances. The Eagles are reeling from a devastating 5-0 thrashing by fierce rivals Brighton in their last outing, a result that highlighted severe vulnerabilities in their heavily depleted defense. With Pierre Sage’s side struggling for consistency and confidence across both domestic and continental fronts, they face immense pressure to stabilize their form and tighten up at the back.
Predicted lineups
Besiktas: Nubel; Murillo, Agbadou, Topcu, Yilmaz;, Ozcan, Ndini, Olaitan; Fakili, Vlahovic, Trossard
Crystal Palace: Henderson; Canvot, Disasi, Richards; Mingueza, Timber, Wharton, Mitchell; Pino, Sarr; Strand Larsen
How to watch Besiktas vs Crystal Palace?
The match will be broadcast live on TNT Sports 2.
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