Crystal Palace v Fiorentina: Eagles ‘overwhelmed by demand’ of Purple Army

Crystal Palace take on Fiorentina in a UEFA Conference League quarterfinal at Selhurst Park this week. The Italian club’s fans are doing everything to ramp up the pressure on the London side ahead of the tie.

La Viola haven’t had a smooth ride in the competition so far. They had to play an extra play-off against Jagiellonia, who took the tie to extra-time.

Fiorentina didn’t convince too much against Rakow in the Round of 16 either, as they won both legs 2-1. In the group stages, they lost to Lausanne and AEK Athens beat them 1-0 in Florence.

Struggles with relegation in Serie A mean that the tie against Crystal Palace will be a unique shot at redemption for Fiorentina.

Purple army travelling to Crystal Palace

La Nazione – relayed by LaViola, make it clear that the tie in London will be the most exciting one Fiorentina have played in four years. They have reached two finals in the Conference League but Thursday’s game is seen as unique.

The initial ticket allocation for Fiorentina fans was only 1250 but 1600 fans will be at Selhurst Park. There is belief Crystal Palace have been left ‘overwhelmed by demand’, seeing them give Fiorentina 350 extra seats for fans. The extra allocation was also sold out within hours.

The game falling right after Easter has also played a part in that. Many fans have been in London at the weekend and will now extend their stay until next weekend. As a result, the trip to London has become a mini vacation of sorts.

Crystal Palace more rested

Fiorentina beat Hellas Verona 1-0 at the weekend. Oliver Glasner’s side last played a game back on 19th March and multiple players weren’t even away during the international break.

This should put Crystal Palace in good health for the Fiorentina tie. Besides, La Viola are stuck in a relegation battle and are much more invested in Serie A. This has impacted their previous Conference League games and their general performance levels.

They have a raft of injury worries too, which can also help the Eagles.