Crystal Palace have won two of their three Conference League home matches to date.
Kuopion Palloseura have won only five of 34 European away matches in their entire history, these all coming in qualifiers against Maccabi Netanya, Vorskla Poltava, Astana, Milsami Orhei and RFS.
Crystal Palace vs KuPS preview
On the final night of the Conference League league phase, with all 18 matches taking place simultaneously, victory for both in South London could change everything.
Crystal Palace start the night ninth in the gigantic league table, thereby needing a victory to go straight through to the round of 16. Last time out in this competition, the Eagles swatted aside Shelbourne 3-0 at Tallaght a week ago, with Christantus Uche, Eddie Nketiah and Yéremy Pino all on target during the first half in Dublin. This means Oliver Glasner's side have nine points on the board, also enjoying wins over Dynamo Kyiv and AZ, but also defeated by AEK Larnaca and Strasbourg. Thus, for Palace to snatch a top eight finish, they realistically require a victory, or will face a play-off.
Two extra fixtures in February is something Glasner would certainly rather avoid, especially considering his team's jam-packed upcoming schedule. Just 48 hours after this one, on Saturday night, the Eagles will face Leeds at Elland Road in the Premier League, before an EFL Cup quarter-final at Arsenal on Tuesday. Thus, Palace could really do with a comfortable victory on Thursday.
As for Kuopion Palloseura, they kick off 25th in the table, one point and one place outside the qualification spots, so need a result because defeat would condemn them to elimination. The Black-Yellows have actually won back-to-back Veikkausliiga titles, despite the fact they were only Finnish once since 1976 beforehand. Thus, after beating Milsami Orhei and then RFS in qualifiers during the summer, KuPS are featuring in a first-ever UEFA group stage.
So far, Jarkko Wiss' side have picked up six points, beating Slovan Bratislava 3-1 in Tampere in November, before their sole defeat of the league phase three weeks later, beaten 1-0 by Jagiellonia Białystok on the road. That aside, Kups have drawn 1-1 with Drita before goalless games against Breiðablik and then Lausanne-Sport last Thursday, suggesting they will not be easy to beat. The Veikkausliiga season did conclude back on 9 November, meaning the Canaries have played only twice since then, during which time Palace have had nine fixtures. Nevertheless, the Eagles should be far too strong for the Finnish champions in South London on Thursday.
Crystal Palace vs KuPS head-to-head record
These two clubs have never previously met.
Crystal Palace team news
Given that they will less than 48 hours between this one and Saturday's trip to Leeds, Oliver Glasner would ideally like to heavily rotate, but has very limited options.
Key wing-back Daniel Muñoz is sidelined due to a knee injury, while Ismaïla Sarr has departed for the Africa Cup of Nations.
If Glasner does want to rotate, Walter Benítez could make just his fourth appearance for the club in goal. Out-field, Jaydee Canvot, Borna Sosa, Justin Devenny, Romain Esse and Christantus Uche are among those lesser-spotted squad members hoping for minutes.
Crystal Palace predicted lineup vs Kuopion Palloseura: (3-4-2-1): Henderson; Richards, Canvot, Lacroix; Devenny, Lerma, Hughes, Sosa; Yéremy, Nketiah, Uche.
Crystal Palace player to watch vs KuPS
Eddie Nketiah scored his fourth of the season in Dublin last Thursday, on target against Dynamo Kyiv and Shelbourne in this competition to date, likely to be Palace's primary goal threat here too.
KuPS team news
No such fixture congestion concerns for Jarkko Wiss, albeit centre-back Ibrahim Cissé is a doubt, after hobbling off towards the end of last Thursday's draw with Lausanne-Sport.
Should he miss out, either Paulo Ricardo or Taneli Hämäläinen will come into defence, while this will be midfielder Jaakko Oksanen's last game for the club, joining Kairat on New Year's Day.
Kuopion Palloseura predicted lineup vs Crystal Palace: (4-3-3): Kreidl; Nii Armah, Ricardo, Miettinen, Antwi; Arifi, Voutilainen, Oksanen; Touré, Ruoppi, Parzyszek.
KuPS player to watch vs Crystal Palace
Striker Piotr Parzyszek has scored against Driga and Slovan Bratislava in Europe so far this season, having also concluded the Veikkausliiga campaign with seven goals in nine appearances, making him KuPS' most-likely scorer in South London.
Crystal Palace vs KuPS prediction
Despite the fact they've lost twice in the Conference League so far, we cannot see Crystal Palace slipping up here, likely to swat the Finnish champions aside: Crystal Palace 2-0 Kuopion Palloseura.
Crystal Palace vs KuPS FAQs - UEFA Conference League
How to watch Crystal Palace vs KuPS in the Conference League on TV channel?
Crystal Palace vs Kuopion Palloseura in the Conference League will be available on the following TV channels;
- UK: TNT Sports 1 & Ultimate.
- USA: CBS Sports Network, Paramount+ & fuboTV
- Canada: DAZN Canada
How to watch Crystal Palace vs KuPS in the Conference League on live streaming?
Crystal Palace vs Kuopion Palloseura in the Conference League will be available on the following streaming services;
- UK: Discovery+
- USA: Paramount+
- Canada: DAZN Canada
What is the date and kick-off time for Crystal Palace vs KuPS in the Conference League?
Crystal Palace vs Kuopion Palloseura takes place on Thursday 18 December 2025, with kick off at 20:00 (GMT), 15:00 (ET) & 12:00 (PT).