Records, motivation & Anfield: Glasner's pre-Liverpool press conference

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Oliver Glasner says Crystal Palace will have even greater motivation when his players travel to Anfield to take on reigning Premier League champions Liverpool – for a fourth time this season – on Saturday (25th April, 15:00 BST).

Read Glasner’s pre-match team news update.
How to watch & follow Saturday's match.

In 2025/26 so far, the Eagles have defeated Arne Slot's Reds on penalties in the FA Community Shield at Wembley; in the Premier League at Selhurst Park; and in the Carabao Cup at Anfield.

But with six months since the two teams last met, and both sides hoping to bolster their prospects of qualifying for European competitions through the league table, the Palace Manager warned that he expects Liverpool to be just as determined to claim three points.

Glasner was also quizzed on his record of four wins in six meetings with Liverpool; Palace's strong recent form in domestic and continental competition; and how he will set up his side at Anfield in search of victory...

Pre-match Press Conference | Liverpool (A)

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Now we have the opportunity to win four times against Liverpool in one season. I think that's something unique
—Oliver Glasner

On facing Liverpool for a fourth time this season…

I think when you talk before a season and say: ‘OK, we win once against Liverpool’, you would say ‘yeah, it's good’. And if you say we’d win twice against Liverpool, you would say, ‘well, it would be very good’. And you say we win three times against Liverpool, it's amazing.

And now we have the opportunity to win four times against Liverpool in one season. I think that's something unique. First of all, you don't play a team like Liverpool four times a year very often.

And on the other side, then having already three wins, that's massive for us, and that's why we're really highly motivated, because maybe this will never happen again, and it's a massive chance.

That’s why we are really looking forward to this game at Anfield.

On playing at Anfield…

Anfield is such an amazing stadium, the atmosphere is great. And, of course, it's playing still the reigning Premier League champion.

It's always a big challenge and we always want to have the challenges against the best teams in the world. They went up to the quarter-finals in the Champions League so that's why it's a big challenge.

But this is exactly what we want and this is exactly what helps us to improve. Then we get, let's say, the mirror of what things we're doing really well and things we have to improve or we don't do well.

All these games help us to develop and progress as a team, and that's why we're really always enjoying these kind of games.

On strong recent form both domestically and in Europe…

I’m very proud because I think it's from the beginning of the season that we are playing at least two competitions at the same time. The Conference League started end of August and there were some moments where we were struggling with this tight schedule, with some injuries.

But I mentioned it very, very often that as soon as we would have the players back and also the additions in January, then we would have more time to train and then we will get this sorted again, and we will see a team with a high spirit and playing to win every single game – and that's what we are seeing now.

That doesn't mean that we do it all the time. We drew against West Ham, but I think we always see a Crystal Palace team that plays to win the game, that has a structure of playing, a style of playing. We’re always expressing ourselves and always playing our style and always improving.

On Liam Rosenior’s departure from Chelsea…

When I did my coaching programme, we went to Nyom to the UEFA headquarters and the first speaker was on screen. First it was ‘welcome to the land of no sleep!’ – and then there was the average time you spend at a club is 1.2 years, and 56% of managers don't find a second job after the first one. ‘You can still leave and think about it if you want to become a manager.’

That's just the reality where we are in. If you don't like it, you have to look for a different job. It's very volatile, we know it, yes. Do I think that's the best? I don't think so.

You always need a little bit of time to implement your ideas, to create, and I think it is the most important thing to create a winning environment, an environment where everybody is aligned and goes in the same direction.

I think you see it in the Premier League, how many managers are still in charge who started this season, and it's just the reality.

On being unbeaten in the Premier League since 1st March at Manchester United…

I didn't know this, but I will tell the players today! Thank you. We have a meeting later!

Our last defeat at home was Burnley. We conceded three goals in 10 minutes. I think since then we're quite consistent in our defence again. It's our foundation and from this we know that we're able to create chances and score goals.

This is what gives us confidence. We know it's not so easy to play against us. We're always able to create our chances and score goals.

In the way we are playing, we don't change it massively. We always make some adjustments. We will, of course, have to do the same against Liverpool. We have to make slight adjustments compared to when we play West Ham, especially with their attack.

We expect Gakpo, Salah, Wirtz, Isak, and then from midfield, Szoboszlai. Robertson or Kerkez, and Frimpong play as very attacking full-backs. It's maybe a little bit different.

It means we have to control maybe different areas than we had in other games. But on the other side, this gives us opportunities and space and chances maybe we didn't get against West Ham.

These are always slight adjustments. But the way we are playing, the style we are playing, will stay the same until the end of the season.

On Liverpool's and Palace's motivations…

When you look at the Premier League table, there are maybe just two teams who can't change their situation in the Premier League, Wolves and Burnley, because both are relegated right now.

All other teams are playing for something, so either against relegation or for European spots, for Champions League or for the title race, so I think also this is maybe a little bit unique at this station. There is no team that isn't playing for anything.

Liverpool, they want to qualify for the Champions League, and this will be their motivation. Of course, if you want to play Champions League football and you have a home game against Crystal Palace, you will say ‘we need these three points to achieve our goal’.

But we have an extra motivation, so everybody should look forward to this game.

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I think this is the foundation of achieving big things
—Oliver Glasner

On whether Palace could qualify for Europe through the league table, regardless of their Conference League result…

It’s always better having two routes than none. And on the other side, you can't praise the players enough for their mentality, for their character, for their work ethic, for their attitude, for the spirit we have here and for always sticking together and really working very, very hard.

I think we really created here altogether a great environment where everybody likes to come. There are already players here, having breakfast three, four hours before training, and it's not that they have to be here right now. It shows that the players are feeling well here.

This is one requirement for being successful: that you enjoy what you're doing, you enjoy the environment you are working in, and then you also have this intrinsic motivation to get better, because if you always need somebody to push and kick you and kick you, I think you will never get the best out of yourself.

But if you feel well, you like to be here, you like to work, you like to improve, but also enjoying and having fun together, I think this is the foundation of achieving big things.

I think this was the foundation of why we already have won two titles and are playing a great season, why we can deal with difficult situations through a season. If you've already played more than 50 games, there's still, let's say, 10 or 15 where you're struggling. It's normal.

But when you have this environment, you have these kind of characters in your team, then you overcome it and you will get the turnaround and be back on track, and I think that's what we have proven.

On going for a win at Anfield…

If we don't go to Liverpool and have the ambition to win there, I would say, ‘hey, we could stay in London and enjoy the nice weather, having a coffee and maybe an after-work beer’, because it makes no sense going to Liverpool, spending two days there, and saying ‘if we lose, it's fine’.

It can happen, of course. You can lose every single game in sports. But the approach and the ambition has to be we go there to win. Even if we had lost the last three games, we would go there to win. But it's always a better feeling if you have done something before, because it shows you that you can.

If somebody asks you to do something you have never done in your life, then you have maybe a little bit of a concern and think, can I do it or not? You have doubts. But we have shown and proven that we can. This gives us confidence, but it's also important for us that we stay humble, that we don't take it for granted.

It's a lot of work. There will be a lot of work. We need to play at our top, top level. We have to be very clinical, because this is what we can't forget: we always were very, very efficient when we played them.

I think we will get three or four chances against them, and if we take them, we have a chance to win. But we have to control their attack. I mentioned all these quality players. It's not so easy, the pace, the individual quality, the style they are playing, the one-on-one players they have...

It's not so easy, so we have to really perform on our top, top level, and then it's possible.

Match Details

Liverpool v Crystal Palace

Saturday, 25th April
15:00 BST
Premier League
Anfield
Live audio commentary on Palace TV+.

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