The Matchday 6 fixture of the group stage of the 2025/26 Conference League 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 English side visited Shelbourne in the previous round and comfortably beat the group-stage minnows 3-0. It was the club’s first big win in European competition. The Londoners moved up to ninth in the group standings. To finish in the top eight they must beat the Finns in the upcoming clash. Crystal Palace have scored nine goals in this competition so far, with only five opponents netting more.
- The Londoners are unbeaten in 5 of their last 7 Conference League matches (4 wins, 1 draw).
- At least one side failed to score in 5 of the club’s last 7 matches in this competition.
- Crystal Palace have not lost in the first half in their previous 7 matches in this competition (4 wins, 3 draws).
Predicted Crystal Palace lineup (3-4-3)*
Walter Benítez – Chris Richards, Maxence Lacroix, Marc Guehi – Borko Sosa, Daichi Kamada, Adam Wharton, Justin Devenny – Eddie Nketiah, Chrisantus Uche, Jeremy Pino.
Midfielders Caleb Kropa and Cheick Doukoure, plus defenders Chadi Riad and Daniel Munoz will miss the match through injury. Midfielder Ismaila Sarr has joined his national team.
KuPS
The Finns have failed to score in two consecutive Conference League matches. First they lost 0-1 away to Jagiellonia, then drew 0-0 at home with Lausanne. After that poor run the club slipped to 25th place overall, but they are still only one point outside the qualifying zone. Interestingly, in this group stage KuPS have suffered just one defeat (1 win and 3 draws), and even a single loss could see them miss the play-offs. To finish in the top 24 they must win in London.
- In their previous 13 matches in this competition the Finns have recorded 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 lineup (4-3-3)*
Johannes Kreidl – Bob Arma, Ibraim Sisse, Samuli Miettinen, Clinton Antwi – Jerry Voutilainen, Doni Arifi, Jaakko Oksanen – Mohamed Toure, Petr Pazisek, Otto Ruoppi.
Midfielder Samuel Pasanen will miss the game through injury.
Referee: Igal Frid (Israel)
Matches – 5 (International matches, 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%.
Match prediction Crystal Palace – KuPS
KuPS’s group-stage games have been among the lowest-scoring in the competition, averaging just 1.4 goals per game (the same as two other sides). It looks unlikely we’ll see a goalscoring spectacle here. Primarily this is because Crystal Palace will be at home and the match is likely to be played to their terms. Furthermore, Palace will not be pushing to the absolute limit as they face a Championship trip to Leeds in two days’ time, followed shortly by an EFL Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. Oliver Glasner will want his key players to be preserved and avoid any unnecessary injuries.
I believe a bet on no more than three goals is the optimal choice. That number was recorded in 6 of Crystal Palace’s previous 7 matches in this competition. Likewise, a maximum of three goals were scored in 13 of KuPS’s last 15 Conference League games. Don’t expect an attacking outburst from the Finns, despite their motivation for the final round — they failed to score in 7 of their last 8 away matches in this competition. The English side will be content with one or two goals.
My prediction – Total under 3.5
* For each team the starting lineup shown is from their previous match in this competition.
