Crystal Palace will contest a two-legged play-off this fortnight, with a place in the last 16 of the UEFA Conference League the prize – so ahead of the two big games, take a moment to get to know HŠK Zrinjski Mostar...
Tickets for the home leg – on Thursday, 26th February (20:00 GMT) – are now on general sale, with no Membership required to purchase.
Any supporter who registered their CPFC account prior to Friday 9th January will be able to purchase up to four tickets per client reference number online, by clicking below.
Any supporter who has registered after this time must call the box office on 0333 360 1861 to purchase.
Nine-times Bosnian champions Zrinjski Mostar qualified for the knockout stage thanks to a dramatic late equaliser in the final minutes of the league stage.
Staring at elimination, they were bumped up into 23rd place when a 93rd-minute own goal earned them a 1-1 draw against SK Rapid, and with it a precious point.
A 5-0 win over Lincoln Red Imps on matchday one had them top of the league following the first round of games.
Despite suffering a 6-0 thrashing at the hands of Dynamo Kyiv, a surprise win over BK Hacken on matchday four helped them to a final total of seven points – finishing above Sigma and Romanian club Universitatea Craiova thanks to overall goals scored.
Zrinjski won the Bosnian league last season, losing just three league games all season, which earned qualification for the UEFA Champions League first qualifying round.
After aggregate defeats to Slovan Bratislava and Utrecht in the Europa League qualifiers, Zrinjski entered the Conference League at the league phase stage.
Among the Zrinjski ranks is forward Nemanja Bilbija, who remains the Bosnian Premier League’s record goalscorer, who has scored 188 league goals across two spells for the club.
The city of Mostar is the historical capital of Herezegovina and a two-hour drive from the largest city, and capital, in the country – Sarajevo. In terms of population, it is Bosnia and Herzegovina’s fifth-largest city.
Zrinjski play at the Bijeli Brijeg Stadium, which holds three stars on UEFA’s stadium rating system. Although first opened in 1958, it was renovated in 2024 and has a current capacity of 9,000.
Thursday's meeting with Palace will actually be Zrinjski's second time hosting a Premier League club in the last three seasons – with Aston Villa having paid the Bijeli Brijeg a visit in the UEFA Conference League back in December 2023.
On that occasion, Villa played a decent-strength team and took the lead early in the second-half through Nicolo Zaniolo, only to be pegged back by a spectacular strike from winger Matija Malekinušić in the 87th minute.
Two months prior, at Villa Park, the English team also found it hard work to break down their well-organised opponents, only winning out 1-0 after John McGinn struck in the 94th minute.
Zrinjski Mostar v Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace v Zrinjski Mostar
Should the Eagles make it through the play-off round we could face one of two sides in the Round of 16.
Coincidentally, both are teams we have already faced in 2025/26 – German side Mainz 05 and Cypriot outfit AEK Larnaca.
Mainz, the former home of forward Jean-Phillipe Mateta, finished seventh in the league phase, losing just once.
They played two pre-season friendlies on the same day against Palace when both clubs were in Austria for pre-season.
The first game ended in a 1-1 draw before the German side claimed a 3-2 win in the rematch.
AEK Larnaca were the first visitors for Selhurst Park for a European ‘proper’ tie and came away with all three points on matchday two with a 1-0 victory.
That helped the Cypriot Cup holders to an eighth-place finish in the league table.
All key remaining UEFA Conference League dates:
