Crystal Palace vs Fredrikstad Prediction: Richards to rise up for Eagles

Crystal Palace will play their first European game since the 1998 Uefa Intertoto Cup on Thursday night (20:00 BST, Channel 5), when they welcome Norwegian side Fredrikstad to Selhurst Park for the first leg of their Uefa Conference League play-off tie.

Below are my Crystal Palace vs Fredrikstad predictions, supported by all the latest team news and match odds.

Team News

Considering it's only August, Crystal Palace have a pretty lengthy injury list, headed by Cheick Doucoure, Chadi Riad (both knee) and Eddie Nketiah (muscle).

Matheus Franca (muscle) and Caleb Kporha (back) are also ruled out, while Daichi Kamada (knee) is doubtful after being withdrawn in the 29th minute of the Community Shield with Liverpool on August 10, and missing the Eagles' Premier League opener against Chelsea (0-0) at Stamford Bridge last Sunday.

Football Odds

Speculation continues to swirl around the futures of Marc Guehi and Eberechi Eze, although at the time of writing, neither have completed a move away yet. Eze, though, appeared to wave goodbye to supporters on the weekend, suggesting that he's the more likely not to feature on Thursday.

Justin Devenny, who scored the winning spot-kick in the shootout success over Liverpool at Wembley, is likely to replace Eze in the starting XI against Fredrikstad.

Jefferson Lerma could come into midfield, too, while new signings Walter Benitez and Borna Sosa could replace Dean Henderson and Tyrick Mitchell between the sticks and at left wing-back, respectively.

Fredrikstad were knocked out of Uefa Europa League qualification by Danish outfit Midtjylland, who beat Andreas Hagen's side 3-1 in Norway before triumphing 2-0 on home soil last week.

Emil Holten, the Aristocrats' leading marksman this season with six goals, was only introduced at the start of the second half in Herning, and could earn a promotion to the starting XI in south London.

Today's Football Fixtures

Rocco Robert Shein and Sondre Sorlokk, two other early substitutes in the second half at the MCH Arena, could also come into Hagen's thinking ahead of their trip to Selhurst Park.

Crystal Palace vs Fredrikstad Odds

Palace are huge favourites to take a first-leg lead to Norway next week, with odds of 1/14 for a victory implying a 93.3% probability of success. Fredrikstad, meanwhile, are 25/1, or a 3.8% chance, to shock the Premier League side and win, with the draw available at 8/1.

The Eagles' top goalscorer last season, Jean-Philippe Mateta, heads the anytime (4/7) and first (12/5) goalscorer market on Thursday. Holten (15/2) is considered Fredrikstad's most likely anytime scorer.

Featured Bet Builders - Crystal Palace to win & over 10.5 corners @ 7/4

Quite simply, it would be a huge shock were Palace not to win on Thursday. Yes, Oliver Glasner's side are inexperienced in Europe, but so are Fredrikstad, who are playing continental football for the first time since 2009, and just the second time this century.

After 18 games in the Eliteserien, Fredrikstad are eighth, 16 points behind leaders Bodo/Glimt, and seven off the European spots. They've won just one of their last four league matches, and were beaten in both Europa League qualifying legs by Midtjylland earlier this month.

Palace, meanwhile, are the reigning FA Cup winners, having beaten Pep Guardiola's Manchester City 1-0 in May's Wembley final, and were it not for an oversight from the club's hierarchy, would be instead competing in the league phase of the Europa League, which begins next month.

The Eagles have already claimed the Community Shield this season, beating Liverpool on penalties at Wembley after a 2-2 draw in regulation time, before heading to the home of the Conference League and Fifa Club World Cup champions, Chelsea, and claiming a point in a goalless draw on the opening weekend of the Premier League.

There were 13 corners taken in that Stamford Bridge stalemate, with six taken in the first half and seven in the second, but I expect the hosts to account for the majority of Thursday's total.

Palace should be applying plenty of pressure, both in the first and second half, to put this tie to bed at Selhurst Park, and that should mean plenty of crosses, shots, saves, and corners.

Anytime Goalscorer - Chris Richards (CRY) @ 11/2

Talking of corners, expect Palace's back three, Guehi, Chris Richards and Maxence Lacroix to threaten from set-piece deliveries against Fredrikstad.

The trio scored five Premier League goals between them last season, with Guehi leading the way on three, ahead of Richards and Lacroix (both one).

It's Richards and Lacroix who should provide more aerial threat, though, and they averaged 0.5 shots per game and 0.9 shots per game, respectively, in the 2024/25 competition, compared to their captain's 0.4 per game average.

Richards was the only one of the three who managed to record an effort against Chelsea last Sunday, and it's the American who should be the more confident in front of goal right now following a summer tournament for his nation in which he scored twice.

The 25-year-old struck the only goal of the game in a 1-0 group-stage victory over Saudi Arabia, and opened the scoring in the final of the Gold Cup against Mexico, although the USA went on to lose that decider 2-1.

He could profit from one of many Palace set-pieces against Fredrikstad.

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