Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Conference League match.
Crystal Palace
The London club, having won their maiden FA Cup, had secured a Europa League play-off spot. Yet, with American businessman John Textor holding stakes in both Crystal Palace and Lyon — who also qualified for the Europa League — only one could be admitted. Crystal Palace were the casualty, their appeal to CAS proving fruitless. From a purely footballing perspective, they have started brightly this season: the team edged Liverpool on penalties to lift the Community Shield and opened their Premier League campaign with a goalless draw away to Chelsea.
Fredrikstad
Fredrikstad, by contrast, have been in full swing since March in the Eliteserien. They are a mid-table Norwegian side whose European ticket came via a domestic cup triumph. Their Europa League run was short-lived, ended by Denmark’s Midtjylland (1:3, 0:2). Still, Andreas Hagen has put together a competitive outfit. Just last month they were minutes away from holding runaway league leaders and Europa League semi-finalists Bodo/Glimt to a draw, only undone by an 87th-minute goal (0:1).
Crystal Palace vs Fredrikstad Prediction
At Selhurst Park, the challenge will be considerably tougher. Crystal Palace will look to settle the tie quickly while also managing energy levels ahead of a key Premier League fixture against Nottingham Forest. A blowout, however, seems unlikely.
