The Matchday 6 fixture of the Conference League 2025/26 group stage between Crystal Palace (England) and KuPS (Finland) will take place on 18 December at Selhurst Park in London. Crystal Palace – KuPS: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Crystal Palace
The Londoners visited Shelbourne in the last round and comfortably saw off the group outsiders with a 3-0 win. It was the club's first comprehensive victory in European competition. That result lifted Palace to ninth place in the group standings. To finish in the top eight, the team must beat the Finns in the upcoming match. It is also worth noting that Crystal Palace have scored nine goals in this competition so far, a tally only exceeded by five opponents.
- The Londoners have avoided defeat in 5 of their last 7 Conference League matches (4 wins and 1 draw).
- At least one side failed to score in 5 of the club's last 7 fixtures in this tournament.
- Crystal Palace have not lost in the first half in their previous 7 matches in this competition (4 wins and 3 draws).
Predicted Crystal Palace line-up (3-4-3)*
Walter Benítez – Chris Richards, Maxence Lacroix, Marc Guehi – Borna Sosa, Daichi Kamada, Adam Wharton, Justin Devenny – Eddie Nketiah, Cyriel Dessers, Jérémy Pino.
KuPS
The Finns have failed to score in two consecutive Conference League matches. First they lost away to Jagiellonia (0-1), then drew 0-0 at home with Lausanne. After this poor run the club dropped to 25th place overall, but are only one point outside the qualifying zone. Interestingly, on the current group stage KuPS have suffered just one defeat (1 win and 3 draws), and even a single additional loss could leave them outside the play-offs. To finish inside the top 24, they must win in London.
- In their previous 13 matches in this European competition the Finns have managed just 2 wins (5 draws and 6 defeats).
- At least one team failed to score in 7 of KuPS's last 9 Conference League games.
- No more than two goals were scored in 6 of the club's previous 7 matches in this tournament.
Predicted KuPS line-up (4-3-3)*
Johannes Krajdl – Bob Arma, Ibrahima Cissé, Samuli Miettinen, Clinton Antwi – Jerry Voutilainen, Doni Arifi, Jaakko Oksanen – Mohamed Toure, Petr Pazísek, Otto Ruoppi.
Referee
Igal Frid (Israel)
Matches – 5 (international fixtures, 2024/25–2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 26;
Average yellow cards per match – 5.2;
Red cards shown – 0;
Average fouls per match – 22;
Penalties – 20%.
Prediction for Crystal Palace – KuPS
KuPS's matches at this stage have been the lowest scoring — an average of 1.4 goals per game (the same figure applies to two other sides). It seems unlikely this fixture will produce a goal-fest. Primarily this is because Palace are at home and the match will be played to their rhythm. Moreover, the hosts are unlikely to expend maximum effort here: two days later they travel to Leeds in the Premier League, and then a few days after that face Arsenal in the quarter-finals of the English League Cup. Oliver Glasner will be keen to preserve his key players' fitness and avoid injuries.
I think a wager on no more than three goals is the optimal choice. That number of goals was recorded in 6 of Crystal Palace's last 7 matches in this competition. Similarly, a maximum of three goals was seen in 13 of KuPS's last 15 Conference League fixtures. Do not expect a productive display from the Finns, despite their motivation for the final round — they failed to score in 7 of their last 8 away matches in this European competition. The English side will be satisfied with one or two tidy finishes.
My prediction – Total under 3.5
* For each team the starting XI shown is from their previous match in this tournament.
