How the Europa Conference League could impact Crystal Palace as key numbers crunched
Crystal Palace lost 2-1 to Everton in the Premier League, due to late goals from Iliman Ndiaye and Jack Grealish.
Crystal Palace’s 2-1 loss to Everton snapped the club’s record unbeaten streak that stretched back 19 games.
Adam Wharton ran the show for Crystal Palace despite the loss, just days after being snubbed by England head coach Thomas Tuchel.
Oliver Glasner said Crystal Palace need to be more clinical if they’re to compete with the other top teams in the Premier League this season after the Everton defeat.
Crystal Palace set to travel 6,500 kilometres during Conference League league phase
Palace came into the match off the back of their first Conference League away day, facing Ukrainian side Dynamo Kyiv in Lublin, Poland.
The trip to Poland was Palace’s longest of their league phase fixtures, at 1794 kilometres one-way, but trips to Strasbourg on the French-German border and Shelbourne in the Republic of Ireland also now await.
Additionally, Palace are due to face Cypriot side AEK Larnaca, Dutch team AZ Alkmaar and Finnish club KuPS Kuopio in their home matches.
| Crystal Palace’s home Conference League games | Next Premier League opponent |
| Crystal Palace vs Larnaca | Arsenal vs Crystal Palace |
| Crystal Palace vs AZ Alkmaar | Crystal Palace vs Brighton |
| Crystal Palace vs KuPS Kuopio | Leeds United vs Crystal Palace |
While the home games don’t require travel, they still add another 90 minutes of football into the legs of the squad, giving them just two days’ turnaround before their next Premier League fixtures.
Following their Conference League fixtures, Crystal Palace face home matches against Brighton, Manchester United and Manchester City, as well as away trips to Arsenal and Leeds United.
| Crystal Palace Conference League opponents | Distance (one-way) | Next Premier League opponent |
| Dynamo Kyiv 0-2 Crystal Palace | 1,794km | Everton 2-1 Crystal Palace |
| Strasbourg vs Crystal Palace | 785km | Crystal Palace vs Manchester United |
| Shelbourne vs Crystal Palace | 670km | Crystal Palace vs Manchester City |
| Total Distance travelled | One way: 3,250km | Round trips: 6,500km |
All five games will likely be incredibly taxing on Glasner’s thin squad, especially after midweek European exursions.
Danny Murphy highlights early impacts of quick fixture turnaround for Crystal Palace
The travel to Poland and back visibly caused effects late on in Crystal Palace’s loss away at Everton, with Danny Murphy highlighting the issues on Match of the Day.
Murphy focused on Crystal Palace’s lack of depth and the effects of playing so many games will have on Glasner’s squad.
Murphy said: “They’ve had to play the same 10 or 11 players every week, and we were talking about it after the game that it’s not just the games, it’s the preparation and the mental preparation.
“We saw that in the latter stages of the game, especially, and I thought some changes could have been made earlier that would have helped them.”
Glasner is no stranger to the demands of European football, dating back to his time at Eintracht Frankfurt, but for the squad this new challenge will throw up unprecedented demands.