Fredrikstad's artificial pitch; Palace's European ambitions; tactical considerations; and our travelling Red and Blue contingent were just a handful of the topics Oliver Glasner discussed in his pre-match press conference at Fredrikstad Stadion, ahead of Thursday night's Conference League play-off round second-leg in Norway.
The second leg, which can be watched LIVE on Palace TV+ (kick-off 17:00 BST / 18:00 CET local time), sees Glasner's Palace look to build on their 1-0 lead secured at Selhurst Park, and progress to the Conference League proper for the very first time in the club's history.
Read on below for the key quotes from Norway!
I’ve managed in Norway before. We played Lillestrøm with LASK in 2018.
We won 4-0 at home and we won 2-1 here in Norway, so good memories!
That’s why we are training here – usually we train at home and then just arrive in the evening.
The players have to get used to trying different boots because many of them didn't play on AstroTurf for many years. For me as an Austrian, I'm used to playing on AstroTurf because in winter when we have snow, it's the same, you train on AstroTurf, but of course in England and Germany, you are not used to it.
We spoke about it. I think Maxence played and trained the last time in his youth on Astro and that's why we're training here. I know the ball is a little bit quicker and you have to pass more into the feet than into the space. But everything else, we will be used to tomorrow.
You heard this quite often from me. We have to accept it and do the best from it. The clear goal is to win the game tomorrow and go into the group stage. There is no tactical side now to playing a little bit more passive and waiting. We are here to win the game.
Of course we respect Fredrikstad, and they showed how compact they can play and how difficult it is to create chances and score against them. But I think also at home we had plenty of chances to score more than one goal, and this is what we will try tomorrow.
[The final] is too far away. It's just winning the game tomorrow. This is what we are thinking about, this is how we prepared and it's the only thing we have in our mind.
I think it would be arrogant to think, when you play a competition for the first time in a club's history to talk about winning it. I think it's completely the wrong mindset. It's the first time Crystal Palace plays outside England a competitive [major European] game. I think it's always important to stay humble and this is what we are doing as a team.
We watched the game again and we were quite dominant. But also on the other side, and this is what I'm mentioning: quite often, every team gets a chance. Fredrikstad had one chance in the first half and at the end they had a shot, I think overall they had just five.
We defended their set-piece, their long throw-ins, very well, and we didn't give them transitions, so I think we did very well. And also in the final third, we created good chances.
It's also to be patient against their deep block. And of course, like always, when you have two legs, you can learn from the first game, and this is what we want to show tomorrow.
They could press us a little bit higher, they could play in the same way. In the league, Fredrikstad is not a high possession team. Usually I think the average possession is 42 to 44 percent, so it's a team playing very often in a deep block.
What surprised us a little bit at the beginning, they played in a 5-4-1. We expected them in a 5-3-2, so this was a slight change. But later when they brought on the two strikers, then they played in a 5-3-2.
I don't know what's their plan. We have to be ready, we need solutions for both things. If they press us higher, it means we will get more space in their half, and then it is to find the space quickly when they play in a deep block.
It’s then being patient, but not just playing like in handball and being satisfied having possession. I think this is what we did really well at home. Getting 25 shots away against such a deep block and having four or five clear chances to score a goal is not that easy, so I think this is what we did well.
But we have to be more efficient in the opposite box to go to the next round.
It makes no sense talking about it. We will train today and the players have to deal with the situation. It makes no sense talking about it, complaining about it. I think the best is to accept it how it is and do the best.
Again, we are not the first team who has to play on artificial grounds and AstroTurf. Midtjylland was here and could win 3-1. Of course, because I'm Austrian and I watched Bodo/Glimt against Sturm Graz. Sturm Graz struggled massively at Bodo and lost 5-0. Yesterday they won 2-1 in the second leg.
But again, it is how it is. We can't change it. We accept it. I think this is a credit to the players, to this group. We never complain about situations, about the environment, about the quality of the pitch, about the weather.
When we won the FA Cup we played, I remember the Monday night game up north at Doncaster, it was two degrees. The rain came sideways, straight into your face. The pitch was more rough than the players were used to. We accepted it and went home with a 2-0 win. This is how we approach the game tomorrow.
It would just be an excuse.
Again, I think it's the reward for all of us.
We were off yesterday and my family was in London. I went to Battersea Park with my wife and my daughter and played mini golf, and just before us there was a family with two boys, Season Ticket holders, massive Crystal Palace fans.
We were behind them and we had some small talk and we could see still how they were enjoying this [FA Cup win]. I don't know how often they said thank you! But we still can feel how much this means to the Crystal Palace fans and supporters.
We chose 1,700 so that the away the sector will be sold out. It's the reward and we will give our best so that they will have a few more journeys all over Europe.
We never thought this would happen. Now it happened. They should enjoy it, going to Norway, enjoying this beautiful country, enjoying a nice game in the evening and going back, hopefully with a Crystal Palace win.
Fredrikstad v Crystal Palace
I think it's always important to stay humble and this is what we are doing as a team
—Oliver Glasner
We will give our best so that they will have a few more journeys all over Europe
—Oliver Glasner