Palace 'ready To Make History' - How Far Can They Progress?

Crystal Palace sewage nan occupation done - and now their fans tin commencement to dream.

A goalless tie astatine Fredrikstad gave them a 1-0 aggregate triumph successful nan Conference League play-off and a spot successful nan convention phase.

On head Oliver Glasner's 51st day too.

Some clip aft 12:00 BST connected Friday they will find retired which six teams guidelines betwixt them and a spot successful nan knockout rounds.

And location is simply a existent emotion Palace - connected a associated club-record 13-game unbeaten tally - tin beryllium contenders to triumph it, having been demoted to nan title from nan Europa League for breaching multi-club ownership rules.

This has already been nan astir successful twelvemonth successful their history, winning nan FA Cup last against Manchester City and nan Community Shield against Liverpool.

"It is simply a immense accomplishment to spell into nan group stage," Glasner told Channel 5.

"It was our 2nd extremity of nan play and we person achieved that by nan extremity of August which is great.

"The first 1 was winning nan Community Shield - which we did - and now, pinch each of nan sound of being demoted to nan Conference League, we person done that too."

BBC Sport looks astatine Palace's chances successful their first ever European run - but immoderate of nan imaginable pitfalls.

The beauty of nan third-tier Conference League is it enables squad from smaller countries to compete successful nan group stages - and let teams that don't triumph galore trophies to succeed.

And Chelsea.

Until nan Blues steamrolled everyone past play to triumph nan Conference League, nan erstwhile winners had been Roma, West Ham and Olympiakos.

Roma ended a 14-year trophy drought, while it was 43 years for West Ham - and a Greek nine had ne'er won a European trophy earlier Olympiakos.

So it is acold from inconceivable that a squad for illustration Crystal Palace could assistance it this time.

The apical 7 countries successful Uefa's rankings only had 1 squad each successful it.

They are Palace, Fiorentina, Rayo Vallecano, Mainz, Strasbourg, AZ Alkmaar - and Santa Clara, who mislaid to Shamrock Rovers truthful are out.

And, having won nan FA Cup successful May, nan Eagles really person amended caller pedigree than immoderate of those different teams.

Since 2002, of those teams, only Strasbourg (two French League Cups) and AZ (one Dutch title and 1 Dutch Cup) person won anything.

Palace defender Chris Richards said: "Everybody is ace excited. We are an eager club, and now is clip to triumph immoderate games successful Europe. We are fresh to make history."

Boss Glasner won nan Europa League pinch Eintracht Frankfurt successful 2021-22.

Former Palace striker Glenn Murray, speaking connected Channel 5, added: "Oliver Glasner has done it astatine nan European level. To person him successful charge, they person a typical talent there.

"I consciousness arsenic though they will navigate it, and they will measurement nan equilibrium of nan Premier League and Europe. Hopefully they tin scope nan later stages."

Ex-England defender Matt Upson, who had a little indebtedness spell astatine Palace successful 2001, said: "They person shown they tin navigate cup competitions.

"They person a head who is very pragmatic and knows really to get there, which gives them each chance."

Palace will play six teams successful nan convention phase, 3 location and 3 away.

That is 1 squad from each cookware - pinch nan seedings not confirmed yet - meaning they cannot play galore of their rivals to triumph nan tournament.

But Scottish broadside Aberdeen and Dublin clubs Shelbourne and Shamrock Rovers are imaginable opponents.

The apical 8 teams from nan 36-team convention shape spell into nan past 16, pinch nan teams finishing ninth to 24th going into a knockout shape play-off round.

West Ham and Chelsea some won each six games successful nan group aliases convention shape connected their measurement to lifting nan trophy.

But Glasner will not beryllium watching nan draw.

"We will watch Aston Villa to beryllium prepared [for Sunday's Premier League match] truthful I deliberation personification will show maine who nan guidance teams are," he said.

"It is not important to maine because we commencement [the Conference League] connected 2 October and now Villa is connected my mind."

Palace would person hoped to person built connected nan squad that won nan FA Cup past season.

But correct now they are really weaker.

Only 3 of their subs against Fredrikstad person started much than 1 Premier League game.

Their chair had eight, to FFK's 12, and 2 of those were goalkeepers.

Star guardant Eberechi Eze near this summertime for Arsenal successful a £60m deal.

And skipper Marc Guehi, who played successful some of nan Conference League qualifiers, remains a target for Liverpool.

Chairman Steve Parish precocious said they would waste nan England defender to get a interest arsenic he is retired of statement adjacent summer.

After their first-leg victory, Glasner said they had to support Guehi for astatine slightest nan crippled successful Norway.

"There is nary different chance than keeping Marc for these games. He knows it, everybody knows it," he added.

But those games are complete now.

Palace person only spent astir £3m connected Ajax near wing-back Borna Sosa, while back-up keeper Walter Benitez joined connected a free transportation from PSV.

There person been much than 20 Championship signings this summertime for £3m aliases more.

The transportation deadline is connected Monday astatine 19:00 BST - and Palace person activity to do if they are to negociate a regular schedule of Thursday and Sunday fixtures this season.

But that activity is nether way.

Palace are, though, closing successful connected nan £26m signing of Villarreal winger Yeremy Pino and person besides made a move for Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji.

Get them and immoderate much successful and they mightiness fancy their chances of European glory.

The emotion still remains, though, that Palace should not beryllium present astatine all.

By winning nan FA Cup, they should person gone consecutive into nan Europa League group stage.

But Uefa's multi-club ownership rules, surrounding erstwhile Palace co-owner John Textor, meant they were bumped down to nan Conference League play-off information instead.

They had to judge their destiny aft a agelong drawn-out conflict involving Nottingham Forest, who were handed nan Europa League spot instead, Uefa, nan Court of Arbitration for Sport - and which section Lyon were going to beryllium in.

French broadside Lyon, who Textor besides owned, had besides qualified for nan Europa League and were allowed successful because they vanished higher successful their convention than Palace. They had besides been demoted to Ligue 2 complete nan mediocre authorities of their finances, but sewage their top-flight spot backmost connected appeal, and near Palace doomed.