Oliver Glasner's Crystal Palace are set to play Ligue 1 side Nantes in a pre-season friendly at Selhurst Park on Sunday.
The home side finished 10th in the Premier League last term with 49 points from 38 games, while the visitors ended their 2023-24 season in 14th place with 33 points from 34 matches.
Match preview
This is Crystal Palace's final friendly game before they play Brentford in their opening match of the 2024-25 Premier League season on August 18.
The hosts' 2023-24 campaign seemed precarious at one point, with the club fifth last in 16th place when previous boss Roy Hodgson stepped down from his position.
In fact, the Eagles had lost 10 of their last 16 Premier League games under Hodgson, and Glasner's appointment in February only heralded one win in his first seven Premier League fixtures.
However, the Austrian would go on to win six of his side's last seven top flight games, including a 1-0 away victory against Liverpool on April 14, a 4-0 home triumph against Manchester United on May 6 and a 5-0 success on the final day of the season against Aston Villa on May 19.
Glasner's high pressing and direct style of play helped to get the best out of forwards like Jean-Philippe Mateta, who scored 13 Premier League goals in the manager's first 14 games.
Palace have won their last three pre-season matches, including back to back 3-1 triumphs against Wolverhampton Wanderers on August 1 and against West Ham United on August 4.
Opponents Nantes finished 14th last term with a points per game record of 0.97, a figure which only slightly bettered 2022-23's return of 0.95 points per game.
The visitors scored 30 goals and conceded 55 times in 2023-24, and this made them the division's second-worst offensive and joint fourth-worst defensive side.
Manager Antoine Kombouare replaced Jocelyn Gourvennec in March, but Gourvennec himself replaced Pierre Aristouy in November.
Kombouare has an overall competitive record of two wins, two draws and four defeats, though his team have won three of their four pre-season friendlies.
Nantes failed to win any of their last three Ligue 1 away fixtures, though prior to those games they succeeded in four of the previous five.
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Team News
Unfortunately for Glasner, Mateta will be unavailable for selection due to his participation in the Olympics for France, though he could be available before their first Premier League game against Brentford.
Ismaila Sarr could make his first appearance for the club since signing from Marseille, and he could even be thrown straight into the starting lineup.
Cheick Doucoure is a doubt after he suffered a slight issue against Crawley Town on July 27, but Glasner is hopeful that it will not keep the midfielder out for too long.
As for the visitors, they will likely start Mostafa Mohamed in the forward line after the striker scored last time out on August 7 against Lorient.
Elsewhere, Nantes could start Malang Gomes in midfield, while Kelvin Amian could continue in defence.
Crystal Palace possible starting lineup:
Henderson; Andersen, Richards, Riad; Clyne, Hughes, Wharton, Mitchell; Sarr, Ayew, Kamada
Nantes possible starting lineup:
Mabon; Acapandie, Amian, Pallois, Duverne; Meupiyou, Gomes; Leroux, Assoumani, Guirassy; Mohamed
We say: Crystal Palace 2-1 Nantes
Crystal Palace's excellent form at the end of 2023-24 has continued into their pre-season matches, and it would be unsurprising if they managed to create numerous opportunities against Nantes on Sunday.
However, the Ligue 1 club have performed well in their pre-season fixtures so far, and could cause Palace some difficulties.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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