2025/26 OPPOSITION FOCUS: CRYSTAL PALACE

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As we gear up for the 2025/26 Premier League campaign we take a closer look at our opponents

2025-06-25T09:36:32.427Z

2025/26 OPPOSITION FOCUS: CRYSTAL PALACE

As we gear up for the 2025/26 Premier League campaign we take a closer look at our opponents

2025-06-25T09:36:32.427Z

As we gear up for the 2025/26 Premier League campaign we take a closer look at our opponents

Today we take a look at the Eagles...

What's their history?

‘The Crystal Palace Club’ originally formed an amateur football side in 1861, which became a founder member of the Football Association two years later and competed in the first-ever FA Cup in 1871/72.

However, Crystal Palace as now officially known, were founded in September 1905 under the guidance of Edmund Goodman.

Becoming one of the founder members of the newly-formed Third Division in the Football League 15 years later, they would finish the season as champions and gain promotion to the Second Division.

1924 saw the Eagles move to Selhurst Park, where they still play their home games to date, but after relegation, they would remain in the Third Division South up until the end of the 1957/58 season which saw a restructure.

Having finished below the cut-off line to stay in the third tier, Palace were demoted to the newly-formed Fourth Division, though promotion was achieved in 1961. Successive promotions later in that decade eventually saw the First Division reached, and they would remain in the top flight until 1973.

Various promotions and relegations followed, including the drop from the Premier League in the inaugural 1992/93 campaign. From that point onward, each top flight season Palace had resulted in relegation until eight consecutive campaigns in the Championship were brought to an end in 2013.

Kevin Phillips’ penalty proved to be the difference in a play-off final against Watford at Wembley and the upcoming season will mark a 12th consecutive season in the Premier League for Palace, after making history by winning the FA Cup for the first time in 2024/25.

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Stadium

Selhurst Park is a football stadium located in the South London Borough of Croydon, and has been the home ground of Crystal Palace since 1924.

Hosting a capacity of just over 25,000, it offers an intimate and passionate atmosphere, with supporters from all four stands close to the playing surface.

The historic stadium has also hosted other teams in the past, including Charlton Athletic and Wimbledon, during periods when those clubs needed temporary venues.

Selhurst Park was also used in the Apple TV series Ted Lasso as Nelson Road, the fictional home ground of AFC Richmond.

The Clarets have taken on the Eagles at Selhurst over 25 times, most recently in February 2024, when the London side came out on top.

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Last season

One word to sum up Palace's campaign last season would be historic. The Eagles lifted a first-ever major trophy after defeating Manchester City at Wembley in the FA Cup final, as well as securing a 12th place finish in the Premier League and accumulating a club-record 53 points in the top flight.

Although the Eagles hadn't won in the league until October, Palace's frontline began firing. Top scorer Jean-Phillippe Mateta went on to score 14 league goals, helping the side secure 13 wins in the Premier League.

Oliver Glasner's side also went on to reach the Carabao Cup quarter-finals, before capturing their first-ever FA Cup in May with a memorable victory over Pep Guardiola's men.

That triumph didn't only crown their season, but also secured a Europa League spot for the first time in the club's history.

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Who's the boss?

Oliver Glasner took charge of the Eagles in February 2024, with his first game as boss coming against Burnley in a 3-0 win at Selhurst Park.

The Austrian went on to guide Palace to a 10th place finish with 49 points, which is a joint-best record in Palace's Premier League era.

After a tricky start to his first full season in charge, Palace regained momentum and went on to finish 12th in the Premier League, reach the Carabao Cup quarter-finals and win the FA Cup.

Since taking over Glasner has managed 61 games and won 29 of them, giving him a win percentage of just under 50%.

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Memorable meeting

05/11/2016 - Burnley 3 - 2 Crystal Palace (Turf Moor)

Substitute Ashley Barnes fired home a last-minute winner for the Clarets, as Burnley moved into the top-half of the Premier League in a five-goal thriller at Turf Moor.

The hosts took the lead with just 90 seconds on the clock when Sam Vokes struck home the opener, before Johann Berg Gudmundsson drilled in Burnley's second shortly after to double Sean Dyche's side's lead.

Palace did claw a goal back through substitute Connor Wickham, who scored with his first touch after coming off the bench, before the Eagles snatched their equaliser through Christian Benteke's penalty in the 81st minute.

With four minutes into stoppage time played, the Clarets then regained the lead through Barnes, who marked his return from long-term injury with the winning goal.

Burnley: Heaton, Flanagan, Keane, Mee, Lowton, Arfield (Boyd 65), Defour (Tarkowski 74), Hendrick (Barnes 86), Marney, Gudmundsson, Vokes

Substitutes: Robinson, Kightly, Bamford, Gray

Crystal Palace: Mandanda, Ward, Dann, Kelly (Fryers 59), Delaney, Cabaye, McArthur (Ledley 88), Puncheon (Wickham 59), Townsend, Zaha, Benteke

Substitutes: Hennessey, Tomkins, Flamini, Chung-Yong