Beşiktaş host Palace in search of a third European win

Beşiktaş will host Crystal Palace at Tüpraş Stadium on Thursday in their third match of the UEFA Europa League league phase. In the first two rounds, the black and whites beat Olympique de Marseille 4-1 at home and Hoffenheim 3-2 away. Having scored 7 goals in two matches, the team aims to keep its place in the upper rungs of the 36-team table.

Vincenzo Italiano's side lost 2-0 away to Trabzonspor in the Süper Lig last weekend. That result ended their winning run in all competitions. After eight matches, Beşiktaş are fifth in the league and 4 points behind leaders Galatasaray.

The team's greatest source of reassurance is its home ground. Beşiktaş have won all eight of their home matches this season in the Süper Lig and European competitions. In the league they beat Eyüpspor 1-0, Arca Çorum FK 6-2, Erzurumspor FK 3-0 and Kocaelispor 2-1. In Europe they beat Midtjylland and Hradec Kralove 1-0, Kauno Zalgiris 3-0 and Marseille 4-1. In these eight matches they scored 21 goals and conceded only 4.

Having won their last four European matches at home, Beşiktaş will record five consecutive home wins in UEFA competitions for the first time if they beat Palace. The team had previously started the main phase with two wins only in the 1986/87 European Cup, the 2010/11 Europa League and the 2017/18 Champions League. South Korean forward Oh Hyeon-gyu, who scored two late goals in the Hoffenheim match, is once again one of the team's standout names.