Crystal Palace qualified for the Europa League after winning the FA Cup final in May, the first trophy in their history. But they were punished by Uefa for breaching multi-club ownership rules. John Textor owned a 43% stake in Palace and is also the majority owner of Lyon, who qualified for the Europa League.

The build-up to the match has been fraught. Crystal Palace were due to play in the Europa League this season but were demoted to the Conference League after it was deemed they had fallen foul of multi-club ownership regulations. That decision was upheld after a contentious CAS appeal, prompting widespread protests from across the footballing world.