Crystal Palace stand on the brink of history tonight as they welcome Bosnian champions Mostar to Selhurst Park with a first-ever European last-16 spot within reach.
The Eagles enter the second leg of the knockout rounds of this divisional league after a 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina last week. Despite dominating possession, the scoreline remained delicately balanced as Oliver Glasner’s side leveled the score in the second half. However, Sunday’s 1-0 defeat at Wolves boosted confidence in south London, a result that left Crystal Palace 10 points clear of the Premier League relegation zone.
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Zlinski Mostar, meanwhile, arrived in London as losers but carrying the momentum of a tenacious first-leg performance. Igor Stimac’s side have made history to reach this stage but they face a major hurdle at Selhurst Park as they have lost all six of their Division One away games this season without scoring a single goal. On aggregate level, the ‘Nobles’ were purely focused on claiming a statement win to continue their groundbreaking European run.
Crystal Palace vs Mostar Zlinski – match preview and team news
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Date: Thursday, February 26, 2026
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Location: Selhurst Park, London
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Referee: Luis Godinho (Portugal)
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VAR: Andre Narciso (Portugal)
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Last match: Mostar 1-1 Crystal Palace (19 February 2026), Union League
Team News
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Head coach Oliver Glasner faces a late decision on defender Maxence Lacroix, who trained on Wednesday but remains a “minor question mark” due to an adductor injury. The Eagles will certainly be without Cheike Doucoure, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Jefferson Lerma and Eddie Nketiah, who is expected to be out until April. Christantus Uche is ineligible to play.
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zlinski mostar
The visitors were without veteran defender Toni Šunjić due to a long-term knee injury. Leading scorer Nemanja Bilbija is also a major doubt, having missed the past five games for unknown reasons. Additionally, Antonio Ilic, Darick Morris and Toma Palic are all ineligible after being left out of the club’s European squad.
form
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The Eagles arrive on the heels of a 1-0 win over Wolves on Sunday, following a 1-1 draw with Zlinski in the first leg. Remarkably, Crystal Palace have now scored in eight consecutive games in all competitions. While their overall home record has been testing – with just one win in their last 10 at Selhurst Park – they have lost just one of their four European home games this season. They come into this tie on a two-game unbeaten run.
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zlinski mostar
The Bosnian side have struggled for momentum of late and entered Thursday without a win in three games. Their last domestic match was a 1-1 draw against NK Široki Brijeg before a 3-0 defeat to title rivals Borac Banja Luka. It is worth noting that Zlinski has conceded goals in three consecutive games and has only achieved one draw in the past 13 away games. However, they remain a resilient team, losing just one of their last seven games.
Predicted lineup
Crystal Palace predicted XI: Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Riad; Munoz, Walton, Camada, Mitchell; Johnson, Sarr; Strand-Larsen
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Zlinski Mostar predicts XI: Karasic; Vranjkovic, Barisic, Duimovic, Savic, Mamic; Ivancic, Durasek; Abramovich, Kuz, Mikic
How to watch the Crystal Palace vs. Mostar Zlinski match?
The match will be shown live on TNT Sports 3 in the UK. The broadcast time is 19:30 GMT, before kick-off at 20:00.
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