Crystal Palace ALL BUT Through to Quarter-Finals – Supercomputer Gives Eagles STAGGERING Percent Probability After Larnaca Frustration!

Crystal Palace were held to a goalless draw by AEK Larnaca at Selhurst Park in the first leg of their Europa Conference League last 16 tie, leaving Oliver Glasner’s side needing to win in Cyprus next week to progress.

Palace dominated the match in terms of possession and chances, finishing with 13 shots to Larnaca’s two and an expected goals figure of 1.72 compared to the visitors’ 0.23, but could not find a way past a determined Cypriot defensive effort. The biggest opportunity of the night fell to Tyrick Mitchell late in the first half, when the left-back found himself unmarked at the back post and looked certain to score before Zlatan Alomerovic produced a sprawling save to keep the scores level.

The result was a frustrating one, particularly given Palace’s recent run of form which has included wins against Wolves, Zrinjski Mostar and Tottenham. Glasner has faced significant tension with sections of the fanbase in recent weeks, following reports that he had told supporters to stay humble, a comment that sparked banners and chants at Selhurst Park. Thursday’s performance was not one that should intensify that anger, with the manager not at fault for his side’s inability to convert their dominance into goals.

Opta’s supercomputer has backed Palace to progress despite the draw, giving them a 64.90 per cent chance of winning the second leg and reaching the quarter-finals.

Perhaps the biggest moment of the night away from the football was the return of Jean-Philippe Mateta, who came on in the 77th minute for his first appearance since requesting a transfer in January. Jorgen Strand Larsen has settled so well since arriving from Wolves that many supporters had barely given Mateta a second thought, but his name being read out over the tannoy brought the situation sharply back into focus. The reaction from the Selhurst Park crowd was notably mixed.