What it means
With one win, two draws and one defeat, the Eagles have amassed five points from our opening four Europa League matches – enough to keep Palace in the play-off qualification places.
Palace sit 21st out of 36 teams in the initial league phase, above the likes of Celta Vigo, AC Milan, Marseille and Celtic at this stage – and only two points away from the top eight places, which would secure direct advancement to the round of 16.
Our five points place us just behind our next opponents in the competition – Real Sociedad, whom we host at Selhurst Park on 26th November – on goal difference. The La Liga side were also held to a 1-1 draw at home last night by Olympique Lyonnais.
If the league phase was to finish right now, Palace would progress to the play-off round as an unseeded team, meaning a play-off round – as the Eagles participated in en route to winning the UEFA Conference League – would be required in early 2027.
What else happened last night?
Having been top of the tree heading into matchday four, Benfica continued their flawless record after surviving a late scare at home to Lech Poznań – ultimately winning 3-1 in Lisbon.
This season’s surprise package, Hungarian side Ferencváros, also have maximum points after four matches – following a stunning 2-0 triumph over AC Milan at the San Siro.
As for our fellow Premier League sides, in-form Bournemouth have also won four out of four after winning 3-1 at Sparta Praha, but Sunderland suffered a first defeat of the league phase after going down 2-0 at home to Dinamo Zagreb.
