Crystal Palace are part of a working group of smaller clubs in Europe designed to keep the bigger sides in check.

That’s according to Noordhollands Dagblad, who cover the group today and how Crystal Palace and Thursday opponents AZ Alkmaar know each other well because of it.

The newspaper says the two sides, who face each other in the Europa Conference League this week, are ‘two allies’ thanks to the group.

They explain that they are both affiliated with the ‘Global Football Alliance’. That’s described as a network of clubs that compete against larger, richer clubs domestically. Villarreal, VfL Wolfsburg, Bodo/Glimt and Lech Poznan are also part of the group.

“That Alliance was founded about five years ago by the man who was the chairman of Saint-Étienne at the time,” Max Huiberts explained. He’s the sporting director at the Dutch club.

“The idea was to create a network of smaller, ambitious, smart clubs. Clubs that operate just below the traditional top in their own competition but often perform special achievements.

“Every once in a while, a club gives a presentation on a certain topic. It’s always good to spar with other clubs to see what they’re doing to defeat...