Crystal Palace's fixture calendar has already reached comical levels. No sooner had the referee blown the final whistle to signal a 2-2 draw against KuPS in the Conference League on Thursday, Oliver Glasner's attention switched to Saturday's Premier League match at Leeds United. Two first-team matches in 48 hours swiftly followed by a League Cup quarter-final at Arsenal next Tuesday.
Crystal Palace's fixture calendar has already reached comical levels.
No sooner had the referee blown the final whistle to signal a 2-2 draw against KuPS in the Conference League on Thursday, Oliver Glasner's attention switched to Saturday's Premier League match at Leeds United.
Two first-team matches in 48 hours swiftly followed by a League Cup quarter-final at Arsenal next Tuesday.
And now Palace face negotiating two additional games after failing to claim an automatic place in the last 16 of Europe's third-tier competition.
Instead they will have to play a two-legged play-off in February just to reach the knockout stage.
Glasner was forced to field an under-strength side against KuPS due to the tight turnaround before the Leeds game.
Palace do not have the strength in depth like some of their Premier League rivals.
Yet 16-year-old Joel Drakes-Thomas, Dean Benamar, 17, and George King, 18, did not look out of depth as the academy trio made their senior debuts.
In the past seven months Palace have won the FA Cup and the Community Shield, while they occupy fifth spot in the Premier League.
And despite finishing two points and two places off an automatic last-16 spot, they are still alive in Europe.
Category: General Sports
