Oliver Glasner has urged his players to tap back into the mindset and togetherness that carried them to historic success against Pep Guardiola’s side last season, ahead of the high-profile Crystal Palace vs Manchester City encounter at Selhurst Park.
Palace’s victory over City in the FA Cup final at Wembley remains one of the defining moments in the club’s history, delivering their first major trophy and establishing Glasner’s side as one capable of competing with the very best.
Now, with City returning to south London and Palace sitting fourth in the league, the Austrian coach believes the same qualities that proved decisive in May must once again be at the heart of his team’s performance.
The FA Cup final was built on discipline, belief and ruthless efficiency. City dominated possession for long spells, but Palace stayed organised, defended with intensity and took their moment when it arrived.
Eberechi Eze’s decisive goal and Dean Henderson’s crucial penalty save combined to produce a famous win, and Glasner has made it clear that he wants his players to channel that experience as they prepare for another stern examination.
“I think we were competitive in the FA Cup final,” Glasner said ahead of another Crystal Palace vs Manchester City match.
“We were very efficient, and we had a great goalkeeper and a great spirit to defend our goal and this we will need again – we will need great spirit and a team effort to defend the goal.
“We will need a great goalkeeper and we will need to be efficient because I’m pretty sure that we will create three or four chances to score, and of course it would be good to take one of these opportunities,” he said according to Mirror
Those words underline the clarity of Palace’s approach. Against a side as relentless and technically gifted as City, chances are rarely plentiful.
Glasner is realistic about the balance of the game, but he is also confident that his side will not be reduced to simply holding on. Instead, he expects moments to come and believes the outcome may hinge on how calmly Palace handle them.
City’s recent matches have offered encouragement. Their thrilling 5-4 victory at Fulham, while underlining their attacking firepower, also exposed vulnerabilities.
Conceding four goals in west London was a rare sight for a Pep Guardiola side and provided evidence that even the Sky Blues can be disrupted when pressed with conviction and intelligence.
Glasner has studied those performances closely. Palace’s defensive organisation will be tested to its limits, particularly after City’s impressive Champions League display away at Real Madrid. Yet the Palace manager insists there are lessons to be taken from both ends of the pitch.
“Their attacks will have to be controlled,” he acknowledged, reflecting on City’s recent form. But he also stressed that opportunities will exist for the hosts if they are brave enough to take them.
“We watched them when they played at Fulham [a 5-4 win for City], because we had the next game against Fulham, and also their Real Madrid game away [a 2-1 win for City].
“They’re very impressive, especially how they attack, how they create their chances, and how they score their goals. But on the other side, we could see that they are also giving opportunities to create chances and to score yourself.
“They conceded four against Fulham and conceded two against Leeds. We want to score goals. If we want to win, we need to score, and that’s what we will go for.”
That statement reflects a confident Palace side that has grown significantly over the past year. Sitting fourth in the table is no accident.
The blend of defensive structure and attacking ambition has been a hallmark of Glasner’s reign, and this weekend Crystal Palace vs Manchester City match represents another opportunity to measure how far the team has come.
Selhurst Park, too, may play its part. The tight pitch and intense atmosphere often make it an uncomfortable venue for visiting sides, and Palace supporters will be eager to remind City of what happened the last time the two clubs met on the biggest stage of all.
Preparation for the weekend fixture has not been entirely smooth. Palace’s midweek trip to Dublin, while successful on the pitch, brought unexpected complications off it.
A comfortable 3-0 victory over Shelbourne moved the Eagles to within one win of reaching the Conference League last 16, but the journey home proved more problematic.
Goals from Christantus Uche, making his first start, Eddie Nketiah and Yeremy Pino ensured the job was done in emphatic fashion.
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However, issues with the team’s flight meant Palace were forced to remain overnight in the Irish capital, leading to the cancellation of Glasner’s usual pre-match press conference.
Despite the disruption, the Palace manager played down any concerns, emphasising that player welfare and calm decision-making were prioritised throughout.
“It’s better that there are issues when the plane is on the ground than it happens when we are in the air!” he said.
“Yes, we’ve had to adjust the plan, but again, it’s not so difficult. We’ll train after arrival with the players who didn’t play many minutes yesterday, and of course, we add JP (Mateta) and Isma (Sarr).
“All the others will do their recovery at home. We stayed here in a nice hotel, so there shouldn’t be any problem for the City game.”.