Crystal Palace are preparing for a huge Premier League clash with Manchester City this Sunday at Selhurst Park. It will be the first time the Eagles meet Pep Guardiola’s side since their historic FA Cup final upset at Wembley in May.
The victory at Wembley marked the first major trophy in Crystal Palace’s history. Eberechi Eze scored the winning goal, while goalkeeper Dean Henderson saved a crucial penalty. That night is still fresh in the minds of fans and players alike.
Austrian manager Oliver Glasner wants his team to replicate the same energy and spirit that helped them win the FA Cup. He says the team must defend with passion and take their chances when they come.
“I think we were competitive in the FA Cup final,” Glasner said. “We were very efficient, and we had a great goalkeeper and a great spirit to defend our goal. This we will need again – we will need great spirit and a team effort to defend the goal.”
Glasner stressed the importance of efficiency in front of 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.”
Crystal Palace face a difficult challenge, as Manchester City are one of the best teams in Europe. Glasner acknowledged that his defence must be alert and control City’s attacks.
“We watched them when they played at Fulham because we had the next game against Fulham, and also their Real Madrid game away,” Glasner said. “They’re very impressive, especially how they attack, how they create their chances, and how they score their goals.”
Even though City are strong, Glasner sees opportunities to exploit their defensive gaps. “On the other side, we could see that they are also giving opportunities to create chances and to score yourself,” he explained.
Glasner pointed out City’s vulnerabilities. “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.”
Crystal Palace are also managing travel and player fitness carefully. The Eagles recently flew back from Dublin after beating Shelbourne 3-0 in the Europa Conference League.
Christantus Uche scored on his first start, while Eddie Nketiah and Yeremy Pino also found the net. Palace now sit just one win away from qualifying for the last 16 of the competition.
However, their journey back from Ireland was not smooth. Glasner mentioned some issues with the plane, which caused their pre-match press conference to be cancelled.
“It’s better that there are issues when the plane is on the ground than it happens when we are in the air!” Glasner joked.
Despite the disruption, he says the team is in good shape for the City game. “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.”
Glasner believes team spirit and resilience will be key at Selhurst Park. “If we want to have a chance against Manchester City, everyone must be ready to give 100%,” he said.
The Eagles’ fans are eagerly anticipating the match. Memories of the Wembley final give them hope that another upset is possible.
Glasner also highlighted the importance of defensive discipline. “Our defence must stay focused, block their shots, and work as a team. Everyone on the pitch must understand their role.”
He added that the team must be ready for the physical and tactical challenge City will present. “Manchester City can be very fast in attack, so our players need to be alert, clever, and ready for quick transitions.”
Glasner encouraged his squad to be confident. “We have the tools, we have the spirit, and we have the experience from May. Now it’s time to put that into practice again.”
The game promises to be an intense battle at Selhurst Park, with fans hoping for another historic night for Crystal Palace.
WordPress tags: Crystal Palace, Manchester City, Oliver Glasner, Premier League, Eberechi Eze, Dean Henderson, Selhurst Park, FA Cup final, Premier League 2025, Palace vs City, Eddie Nketiah, Christantus Uche, Yeremy Pino, football news, soccer updates, Europa Conference League, team spirit, football upset, Pep Guardiola
