- Crystal Palace face Liverpool
- Arne Slot wary of Eagles defensive record
- Reds have Champions League aspirations
Arne Slot has praised Oliver Glasner and his Crystal Palace side ahead of today’s meeting at Anfield. Liverpool host the Eagles with Champions League qualification in their hands.
Their Dutch manager will know just how tough an opposition Glasner’s men can be. He’s yet to beat the South Londoners on home soil and has already suffered three defeats in the league, Carabao Cup and Community Shield this season.
It looks likely that Slot will be in charge at Anfield come next season unlike Glasner who leaves Selhurst Park in June. He might be relieved to see the back of the Austrian.
Arne Slot on ‘Very Good’ Glasner and Palace
Slot spoke ahead of today’s game and explained why Palace are a “good team.” He pointed out the top talent that the Eagles have possessed over the years, telling reporters in his pre-match press conference:
“As always, what makes it difficult are the players you face. I think they have a good team. They already had a good team two or three years ago. From that team, [Marc] Guehi is now at [Manchester] City, [Eberechi] Eze, [Michael] Olise, who’s at Bayern Munich [and] making a career for himself now. And, of course, they have a very good manager, who’s able to bring a lot of discipline in that team and it is really, really, really hard to create chances against them.”
Glasner’s men head into today’s game following a 0-0 draw against West Ham United on Monday night. While it was a frustrating match to watch, it was an 11th clean sheet of the league campaign for Dean Henderson.
Slot highlighted how hard Palace make it for attacking opposition:
“I’ve watched, with my staff, quite a lot of games – as we always do – of these teams but probably now a bit more to find ways of creating chances against them. It doesn’t matter which game but you’re watching 60 minutes of football and you haven’t seen the other team creating a chance yet against them. And then on the other end they are very direct in their playing style with good attackers going quite fast in behind your last line. So, I think they have conceded, after Arsenal, the least goals, so that tells you a lot and there’s a reason for that because they hardly concede a chance.”
Palace can make it four wins against Liverpool this season with a victory and throw their Champions League qualification hopes into jeopardy. The hosts are fifth, five points ahead of sixth-placed Brighton & Hove Albion.
Glasner Stresses Importance of Win
While Slot will be eager to ensure Palace leave Anfield empty-handed, it’s not just his team dreaming of European qualification. A win for the visitors gives Glasner’s men a chance to try and qualify for Europe through their Premier League finish.
Glasner touched on this ahead of the game:
“We have the most influence in our league position because if we win every game, I think we qualify for Europe through the league. That’s what we are thinking about. I never think or we never approach a game considering how this affects the opposition. We always think about how it affects us.”
Glasner boasts a superb record at Anfield, yet to taste defeat in three visits to Merseyside. That includes a 3-0 win over the Reds in the Carabao Cup earlier this season.
