Fiorentina vs Crystal Palace: prediction & betting odds 16 April 2026

The first match at the Selhurst Park turned into a Crystal Palace showcase: the English club completely dominated, claiming a thoroughly deserved and emphatic victory. Mateta (from the penalty spot), Mitchell and Sarr gave the visitors a cushion that will be extremely difficult to squander. Fiorentina, by contrast, looked lost under pressure, and the final xG numbers (3.05 to 0.45) only confirmed that the scoreline was fully justified. However, in Florence the script may change. The hosts, with their backs to the wall, will be forced to play adventurous football. For the side coached by Vanoli, who are fighting for survival in the Serie A, success in European competition is the only way to save their season and prestige. Crystal Palace, with such a lead, can afford to play according to the score, which will give the hosts space to attack.

Fiorentina

For Fiorentina the season has been extremely difficult. The main focus of the team is to preserve their place in the elite of Italian football, which clearly affects their freshness in European competition. The main problem for the hosts is weak defending under intense pressing. Nevertheless, the club are traditionally aggressive and try to entertain the stands with an attacking style.

The home team play in a 4-3-3 system with an attacking trio of Gudmundsson – Kean (Piccoli) – Harrison. Although Moise Kean's participation is in doubt, he can be replaced: Roberto Piccoli and Albert Gudmundsson have scored three goals each in this Europa Conference League campaign. Vanoli will put the emphasis on the left flank, where Gosens and Ndour will actively join in and have brought points in recent Serie A matches. The hosts will also use the centre, with Fagioli, from where almost all of their shots came in the previous meeting with Crystal Palace.

Crystal Palace

Under Oliver Glasner Crystal Palace have turned into a powerful cup machine. In the English league the team are sitting comfortably in mid-table (13th place) and can afford to field their strongest line-up in this match. The attacking duo of Sarr and Mateta are in excellent form, while Daichi Kamada links the lines in midfield with success.

Despite their solid display in the first match, away from home this season the visitors often slip up, conceding against less illustrious opponents such as AEK Athens or Zrinjski Mostar. The main weakness is the centre of defence in the person of Lacroix: he received the lowest rating for the previous game, lost two of four aerial duels, and the main threat came through his zone.

Bet

Fiorentina will go forward from the first minutes — there is no other option after 0:3. This will create ideal conditions for quick counterattacks for Crystal Palace, in which the visitors feel completely at home. The class of the attacking players of the away side (Sarr, Mateta) allows us to expect them to score, while the hosts, driven on by their home crowd, simply have to find at least a goal of pride.