Besiktas Host Crystal Palace in UEFA Europa League Match in Istanbul

Kickoff, venue and stakes

Besiktas faced Crystal Palace at the Tüpraş Stadyumu in Istanbul on Thursday, October 22, 2026, in the third fixture of the 2026-27 UEFA Europa League league phase. Local kickoff time was reported differently across sources: Crystal Palace's official club website listed an 8pm (20:00) start, while Hürriyet's live commentary reported a 22:00 local kickoff. Dutch official Danny Makkelie was named referee, as confirmed by Crystal Palace's official site and VAVEL USA's live coverage.

Besiktas went into the match in fourth place in the 36-team league-phase table, unbeaten after a 4-1 win over Marseille and a 3-2 win away to Hoffenheim, according to Goal.com. Hürriyet reported Besiktas held six points and a +4 goal difference from the two games, while Goal.com's live-updated coverage listed seven points with the same +4 difference. Crystal Palace sat 15th, with Goal.com reporting four points and a +3 goal difference, after losing 3-2 at Lyon in their most recent Europa League outing — the club's first-ever campaign in the competition, a point Sky Sports attributed to Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish.

Team news: heavy rotation for Besiktas

Besiktas manager Vincenzo Italiano made eight changes to his starting eleven compared with the side beaten 2-0 by Trabzonspor in the Süper Lig three days earlier, according to Crystal Palace's official match page. Only goalkeeper Alexander Nübel, Fabio Miretti and Leandro Trossard retained their places. South Korean forward Oh Hyeon-gyu led the attack, while Dušan Vlahović — who joined Besiktas on a free transfer from Juventus in August 2026 on a three-year deal worth a guaranteed €7.5 million per season, as reported by Türkiye Today — was named among the substitutes.

Ahead of the match, Italiano said midfielder Orkun Kökçü had recovered from muscle fatigue and was available for selection, according to turkish-football.com. Kökçü did not appear in the starting lineups published by Hürriyet, VAVEL USA and Goal.com, however, consistent with the scale of Italiano's rotation from the Trabzonspor defeat.

Crystal Palace's troubled run

Crystal Palace made three changes of their own. Jean-Philippe Mateta returned to the starting lineup for his first appearance since the opening day of the season, and Daichi Kamada made his 100th appearance for the club, according to Crystal Palace's official match page.

The visit to Istanbul came three days after Crystal Palace's 5-0 Premier League defeat to Brighton, a result that left manager Pierre Sage facing pressure and the club 14th in the table with seven points from seven games, Sky Sports reported. Palace's defence had conceded 17 goals in seven league matches, a problem Sky Sports linked to the summer departures of Daniel Munoz and Maxence Lacroix.

Sky Sports reported that chairman Steve Parish said the club had no immediate plans to change manager but remained on "high alert" during a transitional period following Oliver Glasner's departure and the club's first Europa League campaign.

What happened on the pitch

Crystal Palace had an early goal disallowed. Mateta put the ball in the net inside the first five minutes, but the goal was ruled out after a VAR review, according to Goal.com's live coverage. Palace continued to create chances through Wharton's crosses and Mitchell's runs, with goalkeeper Nübel making saves to keep Besiktas level.

As of the most recent update available at the time of writing, the match remained goalless, 0-0, after 29 minutes, according to Goal.com and VAVEL USA's live reporting. Hürriyet's live commentary described the first half as still being played with no goals recorded.