Beşiktaş v Crystal Palace: Preview, predicted line-ups & team news
Beşiktaş and Crystal Palace meet in Europa League league-stage matchday three, with the hosts on six points and Palace on three. Team news, predicted XIs and a data-led pick.
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Europa League league stage: a first test for both sides
Beşiktaş v Crystal Palace is a matchday-three fixture in the Europa League league stage, and the standings already show a split. Beşiktaş are fourth with six points from two matches, while Palace are 15th on three. The hosts sit inside the top eight, which brings a direct place in the last 16. Palace are in the play-off band, so a defeat in Istanbul would leave them with one win from three. Only a short run of games has been played, but the gap is already a point of difference on the table.
Beşiktaş
Crystal PalaceHow the two sides got here
Beşiktaş have won seven of their last eight competitive matches, according to the form data, scoring 15 and conceding four. In the league phase they beat Marseille 4-1 at home and then won 3-2 away at Hoffenheim on 15 October. The one defeat in that run was a 1-0 loss away to Kauno Žalgiris in qualifying, after a 3-0 first-leg win. They have kept five clean sheets in eight, and their expected-goals figures are 3.39 for and 1.23 against across those games.
Crystal Palace have played two matches in the competition. They beat Lech Poznan 4-0 at home, then lost 3-2 at Lyon on 15 October. That gives them six goals scored and three conceded, with all three conceded coming on the road. The recent-form data shows 14 shots per game and 1.55 xG for, against 2.05 xG against.
Rotation context
Neither side has supplied evidence of a planned rotation, and the league-phase table gives both a reason to field a strong XI. Beşiktaş are chasing a top-eight finish and have used a 4-1-4-1 in five of their eight matches. Palace have had only two European games, so the data shows no settled rotation pattern. The three-point gap and the Lyon defeat suggest Palace may need a result more than the hosts do. Palace's squad has several absentees (see below), which limits their options in defence in particular.
BeşiktaşCrystal Palace
Line-ups
Beşiktaş4-1-4-1- 1GA. Nübel
- 22DTaylan Bulut
- 35DTiago Djaló
- 50DÜ. Akdağ
- 11DK. Ouattara
- 4MW. Ndidi
- 19ML. Trossard
- 21MF. Miretti
- 8MK. Yılmaz
- 29MI. Fakili
- 9FOh Hyeon-Gyu
Crystal Palace3-4-2-1- 44GW. Benítez
- 26DC. Richards
- 5DA. Disasi
- 6DJ. Canvot
- 25MA. Khalaili
- 20MA. Wharton
- 18MD. Kamada
- 3MT. Mitchell
- 11MD. McNeil
- 10MYeremy Pino
- 14FJ. Mateta
Where to watch
Kick-off is at 20:00 BST on Thursday 22 October at Besiktas Park. The match is on TNT Sports 2 in the UK, with streaming through TNT Sports. It is a single league-phase match, so there is no first or second leg and no aggregate. There is no extra time or penalty shootout in the league phase, and the result stands after 90 minutes plus stoppage time.
Europa League numbers
- Beşiktaş have scored 9 goals in four home matches this season across all competitions, an average of 2.3 per game, and conceded one.
- Crystal Palace's 4-0 home win over Lech Poznan is their biggest in this season's Europa League, while their 3-2 loss at Lyon is their only defeat.
- Beşiktaş have won 4 of 4 home games and 3 of 4 away, with 5 clean sheets in 8 matches overall.
- No head-to-head data was supplied, so the two clubs' European record against each other cannot be quoted.
Match Result: Beşiktaş to win
The form data leans towards the hosts: Beşiktaş average 1.88 goals scored and 0.5 conceded across eight matches, with 5 clean sheets, and have won all four at home. Palace have conceded 3.0 goals per game on the road in this competition, a sample of one match. The risk is Palace's attack, which averages 3.0 goals per game and 5 shots on target, and a back line missing several options. The numbers point to a narrow home win with both sides scoring.