Crystal Palace's Run-In: Is European Football Possible?
03/27/2025 01:31 PM
The Eagles' season hangs in the balance with tough fixtures in the push for the top ten and the FA Cup up for grabs.
With the international break over, focus turns back to the closing stage of the 2024/25 season. Oliver Glasner's Crystal Palace side face Fulham in the Quarter-Finals of the FA Cup, hoping to play under the Wembley Arch for the second time in three years. Only Manchester City remain in the competition of all the "Big Six".
To aid their push for success this season, Jean-Philippe Mateta will return to the squad after his trip to hospital just 8 minutes into the Fifth Round tie with Millwall.
Glasner's side currently sit in 12th place in the Premier League with 39 points and are on the fringes of the cluster of over-performing "mid-table" clubs which have made this season so exciting. Newcastle, Brighton, Fulham, Aston Villa, Bournemouth and Brentford are all in contention for Europe with only 5 points separating 4th and 10th.
A trip to almost relegated Southampton in the next league game, three points should be nailed on for Palace, putting them above Brentford should the Bees falter at Newcastle.
The fixture list then intensifies when the Eagles take on Brighton at home before Manchester City and Newcastle away, a huge chance to make ground on three sides currently occupying the 5th-7th positions in the table.
While 9 points from those games is rather unlikely, Palace's home form is on an upward trajectory and both the manager and players will be desperate to repeat the scenes of the Amex in December when Ismaila Sarr tore Brighton apart.
As well as that, the Champions are not the side they once were and the defensive trio of Marc Guehi, Maxence Lacroix and Chris Richards are yet to concede on the road since the turn of the year. However, Newcastle away has never been a kind fixture to the South London club, goalless in their last four at St James' Park.
The run-in continues as Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest travel to Selhurst Park with a scheduled away day at Arsenal in between, unless Palace reach the FA Cup Semi-Final which will take place that weekend.
None of those three games will be a pushover in any way, but the Eagles weren't blown away when they travelled to all three sides earlier in the season. A miserable 1-0 loss to Forest was Palace's lowest point of the season, sat in the relegation zone, but the game was only decided by one goal. Similarly, a 0-0 draw with the Cherries was an impressive defensive performance and the 3-2 loss in the League Cup to Arsenal was a tight game as well.
Stagnating Tottenham and Wolves will offer the Red and Blues the perfect opportunity to pick up 4-6 points. Mateta's goal against Spurs secured Palace's first win of the season in October and the luck of both teams seems to have switched ever since with the Lilywhites two places below Glasner's in the league. At the time, it looked like Palace would have to battle with Wolves to stay up this season but while the Eagles climbed out of the scrap, the Wanderers remain down there.
The FA Cup Final will take place on the same weekend as the Wolves match is scheduled and should Palace make it there, it will be their third chance at winning the final. If winning the trophy isn't enough for the Eagles, it will secure them a spot in the Europa League for next season, the competition Glasner won with Frankfurt in 2022.
The final day of the season, for the first time in over 10 years coming after the cup final, will be at Anfield where Liverpool will likely lift the Premier League trophy.
It is almost impossible to predict the outcome of one of the most competitive seasons the English top flight has seen. But, with the strongest defence in the league so far in 2025, Crystal Palace may sneak the most surprising place in European football next year whether it’s through the Premier League or FA Cup.
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