What it means
After beating Lech Poznań 4-0 and narrowly losing 3-2 away at European regulars Olympique Lyonnais, Palace have four points from our opening three Europa League ties.
The Eagles remain 15th in the league phase table, level on points with Sparta Praha and Real Sociedad, who sit either side of us. All three sides have won one, drawn one and lost one, but Palace’s goal difference of +3 puts them ahead of Praha (+2) and behind Sociedad (+5).
If the league phase was to finish right now, Palace would progress to the play-off round as a ‘seeded’ team, with a place in the last 16 still to be secured.
But automatic qualification remains firmly in sight. The top eight progress straight to the round of 16, and Palace are just three points behind eighth-placed Beşiktaş, leaving plenty to play for as the league phase continues.
Benfica are the current pacesetters after a 4-1 win over Omonia left them top of the table with maximum points, narrowly edging out Bayer Leverkusen on goals scored.
