Crystal Palace are coming to the boil at the perfect point in the season, defeating AEK Larnaca after two difficult legs to set up a last eight tie with Fiorentina.
They might be out of the FA Cup, but on the domestic front, Oliver Glasner's side have also made recent progress, winning three Premier League matches since the start of February and losing only two of their past 11 in all competitions.
Cynics in south London would still point toward Glasner's contentious mid-season admission that he would be leaving at the end of his contract this summer as something which could harm the Eagles in their push for silverware.
Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner applauds fans after the match
But Glasner led Crystal Palace to the FA Cup title last season, and he now has the chance to repeat the trick, though recent European showdowns have left something to be desired in attack.
Glasner needs to fix Crystal Palace's frontline
There isn't anything fundamentally wrong with Crystal Palace's frontline, but there has been a lot of change at Selhurst Park over the past year, with the sale of Eberechi Eze to Arsenal last summer taking something vital from Glasner's system.
Eberechi Eze 2024-25 season in numbers (timeless)
In fairness, Ismaila Sarr is certainly emerging as a reliable new option in front of goal, the Senegalese winger scoring 15 goals and supplying two assists across 32 matches this season.
It was his brace against Larnaca which fired the Eagles into the quarter-finals.
And, of course, Jorgen Strand Larsen was signed from Wolves last summer for a club-record £48m fee. He's made a solid start, but the Norwegian flattered to deceive in Cyprus and showed there is still more to come.
Over the next couple of months, Palace need more than just a talented forward: they need a talisman.
Sarr is showing he has the minerals for that role, but there's someone else who could come up trumps and prove himself to be the club's new Wilfried Zaha.
Glasner must unleash the new Zaha
He's not perfect, but Jean-Philippe Mateta is back from injury and now has the chance to make a final mark at Selhurst Park before his inevitable summer sale.
Crystal Palace's Jean-Philippe Mateta
The Frenchman, 28, came within a whisker of leaving Glasner's project in January, only staying put after failing a medical with AC Milan. A £30m fee had been agreed between the two sides.
However, having missed recent weeks through injury, Mateta has now made a smattering of appearances and could prove the difference in the quest for more silverware.
Jean-Philippe Mateta in the Premier League
Season
25/26
24/25
23/24
22/23
21/22
20/21
Is Mateta comparable to Zaha from a tactical standpoint? Not really. The veteran is an out-and-out striker, a physical presence you would not want to be pitted against. Even so, the controversial nature of recent events suggest he could play a similar role to the former talisman, arguably the greatest player in this club's history.
Zaha, of course, tried to force his way out in 2019, submitting a transfer request amid interest from Everton. Steve Parish would take nothing less than £100m, and the move came to nought.
Zaha was quite the player in his heyday, and though he was somewhat contentious, he delivered. Mateta has a history of doing the same, and though his relationship with the Palace persuasion has been badly frayed, it has not been severed.
When the Eagles take on Fiorentina in the first leg of their Conference League quarter-final tie, they will be forced to do so without Strand Larsen, who is suspended after the slender win over Larnaca.
But maybe we've forgotten just how good Mateta has been over the past several years, going from strength to strength with the rise of the Eagles, who are now title winners and European competitors and have the chance to add one more piece of history to this chapter before closing the book.
Mateta still has a part to play, and maybe he can be the difference-maker over the next two months.
Ismaila Sarr for Crystal Palace-1 Related
He was saved by Sarr: Glasner must drop 16-pass Crystal Palace star
Crystal Palace edged AEK Larnaca to advance to the quarter-finals of the Conference League.