Crystal Palace FC's first-ever major European adventure is underway, as we battle to win the UEFA Conference League. Find out how you can join us on our journey.

European Tour

## Southbound

> Widely regarded as one of his country's finest goalkeepers, Dean Henderson signed for Crystal Palace in August 2023 after 12 years at boyhood club Manchester United.

The then 26-year-old England international signed a five-year contract with the club, becoming Palace’s third senior arrival of the 2023 summer transfer window alongside Jefferson Lerma and Matheus França, and made his Premier League debut for the club away at Manchester City in December as the Eagles fought back from two goals down.

Like many goalkeepers before him, Henderson started as an outfield player, on the books of Carlisle United as a schoolboy.

He wasn’t just a footballer, however, and was an accomplished enough cricketer to be noticed at county level as a wicket keeper.

Joining Manchester United as a 14-year-old, Henderson quickly rose through the ranks and was soon the Under-18s regular goalkeeper, earning a nomination for the club’s prestigious Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award.

He began to gain experience out on loan, joining first Stockport County in non-league and then Grimsby Town in League Two, before being recalled to provide cover for Manchester United’s injury crisis.

A full season with Shrewsbury Town saw his reputation sky-rocket, and he began to feature for England’s Under-21s side while earning a place in the PFA League One Team of the Year.

Henderson’s move to Sheffield United on loan in 2018/19 saw the Blades secure a first promotion to the Premier League since 2007, and the ‘keeper shone.

He scooped the Championship Golden Glove award (keeping 20 clean sheets), the Blades' Young Player of the Year award and the Community Player of the Year award, for his work in the local area.

It was during this season that Henderson was also called up to the senior England squad for the first time in October 2019.

Returning to Sheffield United a year later, he won the Young Player of the Year award once again, keeping 11 clean sheets as the Yorkshire side earned a historic top-half Premier League finish.

And he also made the next step up internationally, coming on at half-time for his senior Three Lions debut when he replaced Nick Pope in a 3-0 win over the Republic of Ireland in a November 2020 friendly.

After his stellar performances on loan, Henderson returned to his parent club and began to compete with David De Gea for the No. 1 spot.

He made his senior debut in the League Cup in September 2020 before making his Champions League debut just over a month later. His Premier League bow for the Red Devils came against Southampton in November as a replacement for the injured Spaniard.

Henderson made the No. 1 spot his own in De Gea’s absence, playing 13 Premier League games and making 26 appearances overall during the 2020/21 campaign.

However, De Gea’s return saw his first-team opportunities limited, and so another loan beckoned – this time to Nottingham Forest, where Henderson impressed once again before injury curtailed his 2022/23 season.

Now, in south London, Henderson had to wait for his chance to make his debut between the sticks as his friend and fellow England teammate Sam Johnstone impressed early on in 2023/24. Ironically, Henderson's debut came against his boyhood club Man Utd in the Carabao Cup.

He lasted only 20 minutes at Old Trafford due to a hamstring injury, however he returned to make his Premier League debut a few months later - also in Manchester, albeit against the sky blue half at the Etihad.

His first season in red and blue concluded with 19 appearances in all competitions, with five clean sheets to boot. Henderson's performances in the latter part of the campaign earned him a spot in the senior England squad which finished runners-up in the 2024 UEFA European Championship.

In 2024/25, Henderson took the No. 1 jersey and made it his own - playing in every single minute of every game in the Premier League. He also played three games in the FA Cup and kept three clean sheets, including one in the final against Manchester City.

Henderson was named Player of the Match for his heroics in the FA Cup final, where he produced save after save and even stopped Omar Marmoush's spot-kick.

League One, 2017/18

PFA Team of the Year

Sheffield United, 2018/19 & 2019/20

Young Player of the Year

Sheffield United, 2018/19

Community Player of the Year

September 2024

Crystal Palace Player of the Month

2018/19

EFL Championship Golden Glove

Henderson

Twitter

Instagram

Appearances

Clean sheets

Dean and Maxence speak on European win at Selhurst

Pre-match Press Conference: Zrinjski Mostar (H)

The Best of Dean Henderson | Wolves (H)

Extended Highlights: Crystal Palace 1-0 Wolves | Palace TV+

Match Action: Crystal Palace 1-0 Wolves

The captain on building momentum

Dean reflects on the performance at Forest

The Art of Waiting | An FA Cup Winners Exhibition

Henderson on resilient win

Best of Dean Henderson | Aston Villa (A)

Henderson praises team effort

Pre-Match press conference: Fredrikstad (H)

Best of Dean Henderson | Community Shield

Henderson talks through penalty shoot-out

Henderson, Wharton, Benítez & Matthews Go Golfing

Catches

Punches

Clearances

Minutes

Attempted passes

Successful passes

Touches

Yellow cards

Red cards

Fouls won

Fouls Conceded

Season

Games

Crystal Palace take on Cypriot side AEK Larnaca at Selhurst Park for a second time this season (KO: 20:00 GMT) – with LIVE updates from the first leg of our UEFA Conference League Round of 16 match below!

Live Updates: Palace v AEK Larnaca

Crystal Palace v AEK Larnaca (2026-03-12)

Crystal Palace

Premier League

Tottenham Hotspur

Last Match

AEK Larnaca

UEFA Conference League

Next Match

Shop Palace Shirts

- **[Tickets available for Thursday night's first leg in SE25](https://www.cpfc.co.uk/news/tickets/home-ticket-details-crystal-palace-aek-larnaca-conference-league-march-2026/).**
- **[Hear the Manager's pre-match thoughts here](https://www.cpfc.co.uk/news/first-team/glasner-on-facing-larnaca-again-the-european-journey-adam-wharton/).**
- **[How to watch & follow the first leg at Selhurst Park](https://www.cpfc.co.uk/news/information/tv-information-how-to-follow-our-home-ro16-leg-vs-aek-larnaca/).**

Returning from suspension to take his place at the heart of defence is **Maxence Lacroix**, with Chadi Riad moving to the bench.

As confirmed at Oliver Glasner’s pre-match press conference, Daniel Muñoz, injured in the 3-1 win at Spurs, has not recovered in time for this game.

He is replaced by **Brennan Johnson**, in a switch which is likely to see either the No. 11 or Ismaïla Sarr moved to the right flank, a possibility Glasner also alluded to prior to tonight.

Elsewhere, Jean-Philippe Mateta – injured since late January – returns to the matchday squad after resuming training on Monday. He is among the substitutes tonight.

Should Nathaniel Clyne come off the bench to face Larnaca, it would be his 250th Palace appearance in all competitions.

**Palace:** Henderson (GK), Richards, Lacroix, Canvot, Sarr, Wharton, Kamada, Mitchell, Guessand, Johnson, Strand Larsen.

**Subs:** Benitez (GK), Matthews (GK), Riad, Rodney, Cardines, Clyne, Sosa, Lerma, Devenny, Hughes, Pino, Mateta.

For the first leg of their UEFA Conference League Round of 16 tie against AEK Larnaca, Crystal Palace have made two changes from the side which defeated Tottenham Hotspur so convincingly a week ago.

Team News: Two changes for Palace vs Larnaca

- **[Read the Manager's pre-match team news update here](https://www.cpfc.co.uk/news/first-team/glasner-team-news-crystal-palace-aek-larnaca-march-2026/).**
- **[Tickets available for Thursday night's first leg in SE25](https://www.cpfc.co.uk/news/tickets/home-ticket-details-crystal-palace-aek-larnaca-conference-league-march-2026/).**
- **[How to watch & follow the first leg at Selhurst Park](https://www.cpfc.co.uk/news/information/tv-information-how-to-follow-our-home-ro16-leg-vs-aek-larnaca/).**

Palace come up against the Cypriot Cup holders for a second time, hoping to unpick the steely defence which has seen Larnaca concede just once in Europe so far this season, and come away with three points from SE25 on matchday two of the league phase.

It has been a significant week for the visitors, as well, with Larnaca having seen managerial turnover in the last week; new boss Javi Rozada will make his debut in the dugout on Thursday night.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Wednesday, conducted alongside Adam Wharton, Oliver Glasner discussed the challenge that poses for Palace; the potential prize of a European quarter-final; and the form of the England midfielder sat alongside him.

**Read on below for the key talking points!**

Pre-match Press Conference | AEK Larnaca (H)

#### **On Larnaca having a new manager, Javi Rozada…**

It makes it more challenging, I would say. But we already watched his former team, how he played with them.

We don't know how much he is going to change within two days or three days, because in Larnaca's last game on Friday, where they won 3-0 [against Akritas Chlorakas], he was not in charge, so that's the question we have.

But on the other side, they also changed their formation when they played us. Usually they're always playing a back fou. Against us, they played a back five, whereas in possession, the way they're playing is the same, regardless which system they are playing.

So yes, the focus is on us, on our performance, what we want to do, how we can create chances, because this is what we have to respect. And I have huge respect for this.

They just conceded one goal in the entire group stage and this was in the 94th minute at Hacken, so they are very consistent in their defensive formation, again, regardless of which system they are playing.

Then it's for us to create chances and of course to score goals, and keeping a good balance so that we don't allow them to transition.

#### **On watching October’s game against Larnaca back…**

We always do, when we have the opportunity to watch a game back, to learn from this game and to find some areas where we can exploit them. This is how we always prepare and this is what we are telling the players.

On the other side, we want them to also be creative and be free in the attack too. But of course, it's to show them where we can find spaces, because it's not so easy when they are playing in a very deep block. 

I think we showed this at Tottenham before half-time, when they played in a very deep block, that we could find spaces. Yeah, it was twice Adam [Wharton] with a great pass, but also the runs in behind, even when there is a deep line – and this is what we want to do more and more and more. 

And also to be honest, in the second-half, we didn't do well enough at Tottenham, because otherwise we would have created more chances. But tomorrow is the next opportunity.

Every session is valuable, and I hope we are a small step further than we were last week

#### **On having a full week between matches ahead of Thursday night’s game…**

To be honest, I gave the players an incentive that they’d get another day off when we qualified for this round! So we didn't have a full week because the players deserved a long weekend. 

We started on Monday and, when we watch our games back, we’re still especially integrating the new players into the way we are playing. I think it's getting better and better, but we are far away from being perfect. 

This is what we've always done, showing them our analysis, and then going out and practising it on the pitch. Therefore, every session is valuable, and I hope we are a small step further than we were last week against Tottenham, and I hope this will continue until the end of the season.

#### **On playing in the last 16 of a European competition…**

I don't know if it's the most important game at Selhurst Park [ever]. If you get promoted or maybe not relegated, it is also very important for the club's future. 

But yeah, it's definitely a big game for us.

Now, my feeling is we're coming closer and closer to the goal we had when we started this competition, and this makes it exciting, a little bit similar.

I think that's the special thing about any competition. In the Premier League it's the same. And now the closer the end comes, the more important every game gets. You can't allow losing points.

And then, of course, in the knockout stage, you can't allow making mistakes because then you're out of the competition. That makes it exciting.

Now, it's round of last 16, and this was always the big goal, going into the knockout stages and, of course, going as far as possible – hopefully, to Leipzig.

Hopefully, we will see him playing at Selhurst again this season

#### **On Cheick Doucouré, who played 45 minutes for the Under-21s last week, his first match in over a year…**

He had a very good 45 minutes, no issues afterwards, so that's the most important thing. He trained with us, but we also decided he’d join the Under-21 session today. That's why he was not with us, because our session today was not the highest intensity and the Under-21s have a quite extensive session today, so that’s best for him.

He also will play on Saturday with the Under-21s [against Wolverhampton Wanderers] – now hopefully longer, 60 minutes, 70 minutes, as long as he feels comfortable on the pitch – and this will help him to get back into his best shape and he will get all our support.

Hopefully, we will see him playing at Selhurst again this season, for us.

#### **On options at right wing-back, with Daniel Muñoz out injured…**

Nothing changes. First of all, I think it's not so easy to find a more attacking wing-back than Daniel Muñoz. Of course, Nathaniel Clyne is a little bit more a different profile, but he also did very well against Tottenham.

And we were already changed within the game, playing Ismaila Sarr there, Brennan Johnson. We also have the opportunity to play an inverted player there, like we did at Shelbourne with Justin Devenny. 

We have many options, that's very good, and that's what we need.

#### **On playing the first leg at home…**

I think it was more important with the away goal rule, but this changed four years ago, I think.

Of course, it's always good to win at home. But just I remember the last round, I think Fiorentina, they won in Poland 3-0, and at home, they were 3-0 down and had to go to extra-time. 

It's always take it game by game, and the approach is the same regardless of playing away or at home: to win the game and playing our way of football, showing our standard.

That's the most important thing because then we have the best chance to win the game.

#### **On Adam Wharton…**

Adam is leading the team for assists, so I think it's a massive step for him. It's his first regular Premier League season. He has five assists in the Premier League, I think seven in all competitions.

And I think it's what he said: he was always used to playing like a No. 6 and he was always great in getting the game into the final third with his passing quality. I think his next step is also showing this passing quality in the final third.

I think his first step was like this, and having seven assists is great from this position. And the second is getting into positions where you can score, and he’s had this.

The next step will be – and this will definitely be, because Adam is so open to learning and to improving, that he will take these chances and score goals. 

But it's not just the woodwork, but he is in these positions – after 40 seconds, he had a good finish at Tottenham’s stadium.

We all want everything at once, that's how we are, but I think for Adam it was huge progress with his assists and with his quality, also not just showing in our own half, showing in the opposite half, and then the next step will definitely come that he scores goals. 

### Match Details

**Crystal Palace v AEK Larnaca**

- **Thursday, 12th March**
- **20:00 GMT**
- **Selhurst Park**
- **UEFA Conference League play-off round, second leg**
- **[Tickets available to purchase here](https://www.eticketing.co.uk/cpfc/EDP/Event/Index/979?position=1&utm_source=website&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=WebStory060325_Tickets).**

Crystal Palace's historic venture into the UEFA Conference League continues on Thursday evening (20:00 GMT kick-off), with the Eagles set to face Cypriot side AEK Larnaca at Selhurst Park for a second time this season in the first leg of a Round of 16 tie.

Match reports

Match reports

Live Updates: Palace v AEK Larnaca

Team News: Two changes for Palace vs Larnaca

Glasner on facing Larnaca again, the European journey & Adam Wharton…

Shop Palace Shirts

1Dean
Henderson

Match reports

Match reports

Live Updates: Palace v AEK Larnaca

Team News: Two changes for Palace vs Larnaca

Glasner on facing Larnaca again, the European journey & Adam Wharton…

Shop Palace Shirts

1DeanHenderson

1Dean
Henderson