Our betting expert expects a thrilling opening fixture between these two, with Crystal Palace capitalising on their form and neutral venue.
Best bets for Dynamo Kyiv vs Crystal Palace
- 1x2 Crystal Palace @-167 with bet365
- BTTS - Yes @-120 with bet365
- Anytime goalscorer - Jean-Philippe Mateta @+100 with bet365
All odds are courtesy of bet365, correct at the time of publishing and subject to change.
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Backing current form in absence of history
Kyiv will be full of confidence here, especially after going unbeaten in their last six matches. However, their record against English opposition is poor, with just five wins from 30 encounters (17%). Their previous meeting with Chelsea ended in an 8-0 aggregate defeat over two legs in 2018/19.
This is Palace’s first competitive fixture against Ukrainian opposition, so there’s no history to look into. However, the Eagles are on a high at the moment; no other team across Europe’s top five leagues currently boast a longer unbeaten record than Palace’s 18 (W10, D8).
As their first-ever European night out, Palace will be difficult to stop, considering they’re the team to beat at the moment. Playing at the Motor Lublin Arena instead of Ukraine gives them extra confidence, and they could just edge this one and grab three points.
- Dynamo Kyiv vs Crystal Palace Betting Tip 1: 1x2 Crystal Palace @-167 with bet365
Goals galore in store
European nights often deliver loads of goals, which is always an entertaining watch. The Blue and Whites produced an average of 4.4 goals in their last five, so they’re used to high-scoring affairs. The home side only registered one clean sheet across their last 10 outings and conceded a minimum of two goals in three of their last four.
The Londoners will be keen to take advantage and score some goals here, and they’re more than capable of doing so. All three of Palace’s recent matches have seen them score exactly twice in all competitions.
Both teams managed to find the net in those games as well; however, Glasner’s men registered three clean sheets in four away games this season. Considering this is their first-ever outing in Europe, they’re bound to concede against a side that have scored 13 goals in their last five matches.
- Dynamo Kyiv vs Crystal Palace Betting Tip 2: BTTS - Yes @-120 with bet365
A constant thorn in the side
The main man in Palace’s frontline is Jean-Philippe Mateta. The Frenchman is clinical in front of goal, as he showed for the majority of last season. He’s had a quieter start to this campaign, but he knows how to find the net.
Mateta did open the scoring for Palace in their recent London derby against West Ham, but he’s struggled with finding the net more frequently this term. He topped the stats with four shots in last weekend’s match against Liverpool and hit the highest xG in the game with 0.92, so he will be a constant threat to the home defence on Thursday night.
- Dynamo Kyiv vs Crystal Palace Betting Tip 3: Anytime goalscorer - Jean-Philippe Mateta @+100 with bet365
Our analysis: Form of both teams
Dynamo Kyiv find themselves in Europe’s third-tier club competition after being dumped out of Champions League and Europa League qualifiers. The good news is that they’ve had far better performances in their domestic league.
Since their away defeat to Maccabi Tel Aviv, the Ukrainians have been on a run of six games without a loss in all competitions. They should be confident heading into this opening game, considering they’ve been regulars in continental football for a while.
However, playing the game in Poland certainly takes away some of that fear factor that comes when playing on the road in Europe on a weekday night. They could use their European know-how to land a positive result here.
Crystal Palace are making their first foray into continental football ever. The Eagles are currently enjoying a purple patch of form, especially after their late winner against current Premier League champions Liverpool on Saturday afternoon.
Oliver Glasner has earned plaudits from fans and pundits alike for the work he’s done with the London club. Having won the Europa League title with Eintracht Frankfurt in 2021/22, backing the English side to go all the way under his guidance could be a smart move.
Probable lineups for Dynamo Kyiv vs Crystal Palace
Dynamo Kyiv expected lineup: Morgun, Karavaev, Bilovar, Thiare, Dublinchak, Brazhko, Pikhalyonok, Shaparenko, Voloshyn, Ogundana, Blanuta
Crystal Palace expected lineup: Henderson, Richards, Lacroix, Guehi, Munoz, Hughes, Kamada, Mitchell, Sarr, Pino, Mateta