Oliver Glasner says Borna Sosa will miss Crystal Palace’s UEFA Conference League fixture away to RC Strasbourg on Thursday, but Chris Richards is fit enough – if called upon – to start.
Speaking to the assembled media at Stade de la Meinau in Strasbourg, eastern France, alongside Palace’s top scorer this season – Ismaïla Sarr – Glasner delivered a team news update ahead of the game, and discussed the prospect of taking on RC Strasbourg and a familiar face in Ben Chilwell.
Read on for the Manager’s full pre-match updates…
“We have one player who couldn't travel: that's Borna Sosa. He got a knock in Monday's training. We will miss the game tomorrow.
“All other players are fit and ready.
“I always play the team where I think we have the best chance to win it. To be honest, I've already decided [it], but I won't tell you!
“Strasbourg are a very good team, and not just in the Conference League but in Ligue 1, they’ve done very well.
“Yesterday Marselle played Newcastle [in the UEFA Champions League], a French team against an English team, and Marseille won a very tight game. I expect the same tomorrow.
“I was really impressed when we prepared for this game, about the way they are playing: very intense, very quick players, with a lot of confidence, always attacking. It will be a great challenge.
“We are looking forward to the game: a nice stadium, nice atmosphere and we will do our best to get the win.”
“He’s a fantastic player, and an even better person. We really enjoyed working with him for a few months, and of course celebrating winning the FA Cup.
“We always feel a connection there. Winning a trophy together, it stays forever. I'm really pleased that he plays a very good role now for Strasbourg.”
“They play fantastic football. They play a similar shape to the way we are playing, 3-4-3. We watched them. Very similar patterns.
“I like the intensity. I was told that they play the highest intensity, and the most intense runs out of possession here in France, and that's what I saw in the video.
“They have many young players and one or two more experienced players, like Ben is one of them. A great mix. He [Rosenior] is doing a fantastic job.
“But tomorrow, I think both teams will go for the win. That's why I'm really looking forward and expecting a very interesting game for all of us.”
“First of all, it’s the players, because they play so well. They do so well, bot just this season, but the last season.
“And, yeah, it's consistency. Most of the team, we are working together for 18 months. Even when we lost, let's say, one of our superstars every summer, [Michael] Olise to Bayern Munich and this summer, [Ebere] Eze to Arsenal, but we replaced him really early. Isma came in last summer and played excellent for us. Great player.
“And I think it's with confidence. I think we have quite a good structure. We are defensively tough to break, and this is what we will show tomorrow, what we want to show tomorrow.
“But at the end, it's all because we have a great group of players and a great group of people working together, enjoying their time together and always giving our best.”
“We always want to win, and I think we don't need extra motivation. It's the first time in the club's history that we play European football. This is motivation enough, and we enter every single competition to win it.
“But we have huge respect for every opposition, like Strasbourg, and we could see it in all the other games as well.
“But the first goal is to win tomorrow. That's the most important thing.”
RC Strasbourg v Crystal Palace