Glasner on team plans for KuPS & Leeds double header, Kamada update & Academy players
Oliver Glasner says Crystal Palace will field two separate starting XIs for this week’s matches against KuPS Kuopio in the UEFA Conference League and Leeds United in the Premier League.
The Eagles face Finnish champions KuPS at Selhurst Park on Thursday (18th December, 20:00 GMT) – with a win likely to secure a top-eight finish – before, 48 hours later, kicking off against Leeds United at Elland Road (Saturday, 20th December, 20:00).
Three days later, another fixture: a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium (23rd December, 20:00).
Heading into such a busy spell, Glasner confirmed in his pre-KuPS press conference he would field different teams for our next two games: “No player will start against [both] KuPs and Leeds.
“I and we all feel responsible for the players’ welfare. I just spoke to Will [Hughes] and he experienced it a few years ago – when it was on Boxing Day and 28th [December], sometimes there were games, and he played it – but I just think now the intensity of the game has increased.
“Maybe you can do it once, but it’s our 27th game now [this season], and we have to think further, because we play on the 18th, 20th, 23rd and 28th [December], and 1st, 4th, 7th and 10th January – therefore it’s just irresponsible if we do this.
“We will start with two completely different teams, but of course the minutes will be shared a little bit if this is possible.
“I always want to play the best team from the first until the last minute, but this game demands this from us, so that is why we will do it.”
The Eagles will be without Daichi Kamada for this run of matches, after the Japan international limped off midway through the second-half against Manchester City.
“It is how it looked when he walked off the pitch,” Glasner confirmed. “It’s a serious hamstring injury, and he will be out for at least eight to 10 weeks.
“It doesn’t affect the thinking in tomorrow’s game – he won’t be back – and our focus is completely on the three games within five days, starting with KuPS and then going to Leeds and playing at the Emirates. Then we have a bit of time, and then we play Tottenham at home before 2025 ends, so no, it doesn’t affect the next couple of days.
“It’s not what we want, but on the other side, it’s part of football – it’s part of sports – when you play so many games that things can happen. It’s not a normal muscle injury, it was just an incident with his landing and body position – he overstretched everything, the full weight on the front, and that’s why it happens.
“He usually never has muscle injuries. But unfortunately it’s part of our game.”
Asked whether any Academy players would be debuting as part of the double team selection, Glasner smiled: "Perhaps, yes!
"I mentioned it and said it to the players: enjoy it. If you have your debut in an international game for Crystal Palace in front of 25,000 fans, invite your parents and your family and enjoy the game. I don’t expect that everything is perfect, I always hope, but it’s not possible.
"Don’t expect that you don't make mistakes, don't expect that everything is perfect, just show why you are an Academy player. Everybody has the goal to play Premier League football, so just show it, with all your skill, with maximum effort, but also again, be calm and enjoy it."
Journalists at the pre-match press conference subsequently enquired about three Academy players spotted training with the squad at Wednesday's open training session: young defenders Mofe Jemide and George King, and wing-back Dean Benamar.
Glasner noted: "Dean Benamar is a wing-back option, and I was quite impressed. Last year we played in an international break against our Under-21s and he had a very good performance there, he was very dynamic, and he had an injury, but he’s now back.
"Mofe is a tall left-footed centre-half, and King is also playing every game for our Under-21s and doing well there, so that’s why they deserve to be with us."
Glasner was asked about fellow young full-back Rio Cardines: "Rio also had a few week' setback with a muscle injury in his adductor. I don’t know exactly [how long he will be out] – four or five or six weeks."
Finally, Glasner was asked about long-term absentees Cheick Doucouré and Chadi Riad: "It takes time. I can’t tell you a date Cheicky will be back with us. [It's about] getting him stable and consistent.
"Chadi is doing better – he's now taking part in team training and now, it’s of course, giving him training after training, seeing how the knee reacts and getting him back into this best shape.
"But I think it’s now almost one year – from when we saw the first injury, one-and-a-half years. One week up or down is not important – it's just being consistently in training and starting to get minutes in the Under-21s, then being back for us.
"Yes, he had full training today, but it was matchday minus one training and after the warm-up, we had 15 minutes of tactical training, and then set-plays, so it's important for him to get real football training, intense training with duels, which we won’t have until the middle of January.
"That's why he will need sessions with the Under-21s where he gets this intensity, the duels, the feeling you need to play minutes, without any reaction and feeling comfortable, that’s the most important thing.
"If you feel right then it's the right moment – I don’t know when it will happen, but it will be."
Match Details
Crystal Palace v KuPS Kuopio
- Thursday, 18th December
- 20:00 GMT
- UEFA Conference League
- Selhurst Park
- Tickets available here.