How Palace prepared for Sunday's game

Oliver Glasner’s side beat Bosnian outfit HSK Zrinjski Mostar 2-0 on Thursday, and 3-1 on aggregate, to continue their European journey.

Maxence Lacroix headed Palace in front, before a late settler by January signing Evann Guessand secured the Eagles a spot in the next round, where they will play AEK Larnaca. If they beat the Cypriots, a potential quarter-final against David De Gea's Fiorentina is on the cards after that, although they have to overcome Poles Rakow Czestochowa first.

Last week’s 1-1 draw in Bosnia meant Glasner could take no chances, preventing him from rotating the team from their previous Premier League fixture.

Walter Benitez had been used in the previous two Conference League outings, however United alumni Dean Henderson started both the first and second leg, making his 100th Palace appearance in the latter.

Glasner made three changes from the 1-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Guessand, who scored a last-gasp winner in that game, earned his spot in the starting line-up as Lacroix returned from a groin injury and Daichi Kamada also started, with Chadi Riad, Will Hughes and Yeremy Pino all dropping to the bench.

Jean-Philippe Mateta, who scored two goals in this fixture last season, is unavailable at the moment due to a knee injury, while Jefferson Lerma and Eddie Nketiah will both miss this fixture.

Jorgen Strand Larsen looks set to lead the line in Mateta's stead and the Norwegian will fancy his chances in front of goal, having scored twice already since his deadline-day move from Wolves.

It is worth noting that this fixture will be Palace’s fourth game in 11 days, so the visitors may be feeling some fatigue.

Glasner highlighted that his squad is smaller than many other Premier League teams, using Chelsea as an extreme example: “They have 42 players in their squad so they can rotate easily and are more prepared than a Crystal Palace can be.

"The players will be ready, with two days of recovery and training, and then we go to Manchester on Saturday. We’re looking forward to playing at Old Trafford. We have great, great memories winning there 2-0 last year, and it's a fantastic stadium."

Palace sit 13th in the Premier League and are 10 points clear of the relegation zone going into Sunday’s fixture.

After back-to-back wins, Palace’s form is beginning to improve. The Eagles have only lost one in their last six matches, winning three of them, a stark contrast to their 12-game winless run during December and January.

“I think we all hope so,” Glasner said, when asked whether he thinks his side have turned a corner.

“We have had better results. Earlier in the season we were lacking the consistency over the entire game, but hope it will be a little bit calmer.”