The Eagles Manager, speaking on the eve of Palace’s first-ever match in the UEFA Europa League – facing Lech Poznań on Thursday, with tickets are still on sale here – believes his team can make it back-to-back campaigns winning continental silverware.
After lifting the UEFA Conference League trophy in Leipzig back in May, Palace fans will be dreaming of further glory in Frankfurt this year, and Sage smiled: “It’s historic because it's the first game of the club in this competition.
“That's why we are really happy to play this game… but it could be historic if we win it.
“[Character] is the beginning of all for me, because when you have the question ‘are you ambitious in this European Cup? Could you win it?’ If you don't have character, you cannot reply ‘yes’.
“And I think to be a high-level team, as we are, we need people with character. That's why we choose the players in this way, and we manage it daily, because if you want to compete, you need this kind of thing.
“Now we have to deal with the risk and the safety and our gameplan. I don't want to tell you all the things, but we are at home.
“The club won last year the Conference League. That's why we want to continue in this way – and we want to be better than Saturday, not only in the way of playing, but in the result too.”
