Crystal Palace vs AEK Larnaca Preview

Crystal Palace host AEK Larnaca at Selhurst Park on Thursday 12th March 2026 in the first leg of this Conference League knockout tie, with kick-off at 20:00 GMT. It is a tie that carries an uncomfortable edge for the Eagles before the opening whistle. The only previous meeting between these two clubs came earlier in this very competition, and it ended in a 1-0 win for AEK Larnaca away at Selhurst Park in October 2025 — meaning the Cypriot side have already demonstrated they can win on this ground. That result will be in the back of Palace’s minds tonight, and they will need to respond by putting in a performance that asserts their authority on home soil and puts the tie to bed before the return leg in Cyprus. Palace’s Conference League statistics give them a clear edge on paper — 14 goals scored, 12 assists, a goal difference of +7 — against AEK’s 7 goals scored, 4 assists and a goal difference of +6. However, AEK’s defensive record in the competition of just 1 goal conceded is extraordinary and demands respect.

Crystal Palace head into this first leg in reasonable form, having won their most recent match. Their most recent result was a 3-1 win away at Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on March 5th — a standout away performance that will have lifted the mood enormously around SE25. In their previous match, they lost 2-1 away at Manchester United on March 1st. Before that, they beat Zrinjski Mostar 2-0 at home in the Conference League on February 26th — a controlled European home win on this very ground. Earlier in this sequence, they won 1-0 at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers on February 22nd, and drew 1-1 away at Zrinjski Mostar in the Conference League on February 19th. Three wins and a draw in four across all competitions before that Man United defeat — Palace have the quality and home advantage to establish a useful lead tonight, but they must be far more clinical and defensively alert than they were when AEK visited in October.

AEK Larnaca arrive at Selhurst Park carrying that precious away win in their recent memory, though their form since has been inconsistent domestically. Their most recent result was a 3-0 home win over Akritas Chlorakas in the Cypriot First Division on March 6th — a comfortable win that will have provided some match sharpness heading into England. In their previous match, they drew 1-1 at home to Olympiakos Nicosia on March 1st. Earlier, they lost 2-1 away at Omonia Aradippou on February 22nd and lost 1-0 at home to Apollon Limassol on February 14th — two consecutive losses that represent a dip in domestic form. Before that, they won 2-1 away at Apoel Nicosia on February 8th. Two wins, a draw and two losses in five — the domestic form is patchy, but AEK are a side built for European competition, and conceding just one goal in the Conference League this season speaks to a well-drilled, tactically astute defensive unit. Palace will need to work for everything tonight.

The sole head-to-head meeting between these clubs is the one that matters most: AEK Larnaca won 1-0 away at Crystal Palace in the Conference League on October 23, 2025. Crystal Palace will be determined to put that result right tonight, and Selhurst Park under the lights provides exactly the occasion to do it.

UK fans can watch live on TNT Sports 2 and discovery+ with a 20:00 GMT kick-off on Thursday. Viewers in the USA can stream on Paramount+ and ViX. Fans in France can watch on Canal+ Sport and myCANAL, while German supporters can tune in on RTL+.

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Crystal Palace Form

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
W	Tottenham Hotspur	1-3	Crystal Palace	English Premier League	Mar 5, 2026
L	Manchester United	2-1	Crystal Palace	English Premier League	Mar 1, 2026
W	Crystal Palace	2-0	Zrinjski Mostar	Conference League	Feb 26, 2026
W	Crystal Palace	1-0	Wolverhampton Wanderers	English Premier League	Feb 22, 2026
D	Zrinjski Mostar	1-1	Crystal Palace	Conference League	Feb 19, 2026

AEK Larnaca Form

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
W	AEK Larnaca	3-0	Akritas Chlorakas	Cypriot First Division	Mar 6, 2026
D	AEK Larnaca	1-1	Olympiakos Nicosia	Cypriot First Division	Mar 1, 2026
L	Omonia Aradippou	2-1	AEK Larnaca	Cypriot First Division	Feb 22, 2026
L	AEK Larnaca	0-1	Apollon Limassol	Cypriot First Division	Feb 14, 2026
W	Apoel Nicosia	1-2	AEK Larnaca	Cypriot First Division	Feb 8, 2026

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Head To Head Record

Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
Crystal Palace	0-1	AEK Larnaca	Conference League	Oct 23, 2025

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TV Listings / Streaming

Country	Channel(s)
Great Britain	TNT Sports 2, discovery+, discovery+ App
Ireland Republic	TNT Sports 2, discovery+, Premier Sports ROI 2, discovery+ App
USA	Paramount+, ViX
France	Canal+ Sport, myCANAL
Germany	RTL+
Canada	DAZN Canada, fuboTV Canada
Australia	Stan Sport
Portugal	DAZN4 Portugal, DAZN Portugal
Netherlands	Ziggo Sport 6
South Africa	SuperSport MaXimo 1, DStv App