Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace will return to action this week, as they take on Fiorentina in the UEFA Conference League on Thursday.
Sport Witness have covered how the Italian club’s fans are excited about the game. They see the tie as arguably the biggest game for their side in recent years and the Eagles allocated extra tickets for La Viola faithfuls too.
The buzz in Italy has been growing, especially with Fiorentina flirting with relegation troubles across the campaign.
Despite that, the Italian side can throw up a surprise for Crystal Palace through selection. They have several injury worries to contend with but can field a very altered eleven later this week.
David De Gea seeking England redemption
Corriere dello Sport report that David De Gea hasn’t played in the Conference League for La Viola this season. Oliver Christensen has been more involved, with the Spaniard featuring much more regularly in Serie A. For the tie against Crystal Palace, De Gea is likely to start.
He last played a game in English football over 1000 days ago during his time at Manchester United. The newspaper also see the Eagles game as a shot at redemption, with De Gea playing 19 times against them in the past.
Moise Kean can also start. He does have a minor shin problem but is pushing to feature in London.
The striker has played only 259 minutes in the Conference League. He did start the previous game against Rakow but Paolo Vanoli has used him more consistently in the Serie A. That situation mirrors De Gea, with both key players set to start against Crystal Palace.
Fiorentina have Niccolo Fortini, Fabiano Parisi and Manor Solomon out, though and that is a blow.
Our take: Mindset can determine everything
While heaping praise on De Gea, Corriere dello Sport indicate that Fiorentina’s entire focus this season has been on avoiding relegation. Even sporting director Fabio Paratici has had a similar mindset, with January signings mirroring the objective.
This can prove important for Crystal Palace, who haven’t played a game since 19th March.
Fiorentina have hit good form over the last month and have a great record in the Conference League. But it really depends on what version turns out on Thursday. A lot of times, they have looked casual in their approach.