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Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has shared his thoughts ahead of the Premier League clash with Liverpool.
The Eagles are on the brink of matching a club-record 18-game unbeaten run in all competitions if they can hold off Arne Slot and his players at Selhurst Park.
Here is everything Glasner said about Liverpool at his press conference on Friday, as the last two unbeaten teams in the Premier League gear up to face each other for the second time this season, following their August Community Shield encounter. Palace won that clash at Wembley, denying the Reds a golden chance at lifting even more silverware under Slot.
This is the second of three matches against Liverpool in the first three months of the season. I guess your recent record against the Premier League champions must give you big confidence heading into the game tomorrow?
Glasner replied: "Well, you go back two months, and it's the fourth game because the last game of last season was at Anfield as well. So, yes, maybe we get them a fifth time in the FA Cup. And I don't know if something more is possible, but we experienced a similar thing with Aston Villa last year.
"And again, we're always looking forward to playing the champion and we want to compete. We want these challenges against the best teams. Liverpool was the best team last year because they won the league. But I think we showed that we are competitive in the Community Shield also at the end of last season and this is what we want to show again tomorrow, that we are competitive, then let's see how football, how the game is going."
Everybody knows how close Marc came to joining Liverpool on deadline day. How do you expect him to handle the situation tomorrow?
Glasner replied: "I have no concerns at all. I'm completely convinced, and I mention this quite often, as long as Marc is playing for Crystal Palace, he will be playing with 100 percent. This is what I expect tomorrow. I'm really convinced that he will show this again.
"He's an amazing player, he's in amazing shape. So I expect a great game from him. Again, it's gone. The window is closed, fortunately, so he's completely focused on Crystal Palace, on his performance and our performance and like always, it's good to have him as a captain."
Will the club try to ensure he stays beyond January and beyond next summer? Or is there an acceptance that because of the situation he's in, because of how good he is as a player, or the situation he'd be in himself next summer, that it's going to be difficult?
Glasner replied: "I'm not talking about transfer discussions. We had this for three or four months, and it really made me tired. I don't want to talk about it. I know in January it will be again for one month. Even when I think about it, it makes me tired. So let's talk about this great game, the FA Cup winners against the Premier League. That's more important than all the other stuff."
Arne Slot was asking in his press conference what Palace's biggest threat is, and he replied with discipline, and he mentioned your defence. What do you think their biggest threat will be and is?
Glasner replied: "Yes, it's such a team with so many great players and a fantastic coach, so we have a huge respect for Arne Slot, coming into the first season of the Premier League and winning the title.
"Of course, we want to come through the pocket with Isak, with Szoboszlai with McAllister, all these players, understanding the space, and if you don't give them the pocket, they have great one-on-one players on the wing, with Salah, with Gakpo, and also they are doing so well in set-plays, with Van Dijk, who scored the game-winner against Atletico at the end, and also a clear structure.
"So I think it's not just saying it's this or that, on the other side. It's what they proved, especially in this season, it's a little bit similar to where we are, they always believe until the final whistle that they can win the game, I think they have five or six late goals where they could get the win. So I think it's the quality, the structure, and of course their attacking split."
You mentioned Alexander Isak, who is set to start because of Ekitike's red card the other day, what kind of a threat do you think he poses versus someone like Ekitike?
Glasner replied: "They have a similar profile, huge pace, great runners, great feeling when to run into the space, and goal scorers, and post-court against Southampton. And Alexander Isak showed it in the last year, especially the last year against Newcastle. So, just a good striker, he knows where to move, and a great finisher, and what JP is doing well as well."
Crystal Palace haven't won successive games against Liverpool since 2015, of course you got the better of them in the Community Shield, so what do you think you can take away from that game going into tomorrow's match?
Glasner replied: I think both teams play similarly, because Arne Slot has his way of playing and we have our way of playing, so we watch this game back and are pretty sure they did the same. To find weaknesses in our defence, and to find weaknesses.
"We know exactly where their threat is, how they want to play, how they are attacking, but it's not just to defend, we're always looking for our chances, where are the weaknesses of the opposition.
"We scored two goals against them, and this is now to show the players again where we think we can have our chances to create chances and score goals. On the other side, of course, we need the foundation again that we can control their attacking line, so it will be a great challenge."
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