'I would never' - Crystal Palace boss sends title message to Liverpool about plans for Arsenal clash
A defeat for Arsenal against Crystal Palace will see Liverpool crowned Premier League champions.
Oliver Glasner has insisted that his Crystal Palace approach will not change to face Arsenal despite an FA Cup semi-final looming.
The Liverpool squad are set to gather to watch the Emirates Stadium fixture tonight. That is because a win for Palace over the second-placed Gunners will see the Reds crowned Premier League champions.
The Eagles’ chief priority for the rest of the season is claiming a maiden piece of major silverware. Palace face Aston Villa at Wembley on Sunday with a place in the FA Cup final on the line. However, Glasner will want to take momentum into the last-four tie, having conceded a combined 10 goals in losses to Manchester City and Newcastle before being held to a 0-0 draw against Bournemouth last weekend.
The Selhurst Park boss could be tempted to rest some of his big-hitters such as Eberechi Eze, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Marc Guehi, while Chris Richards must serve a one-match suspension. But speaking at his pre-match press conference, Glasner says that he will name a strong line-up.
What’s been said
He said via the Guardian: “My approach is clear: nothing changes tomorrow. It’s the players’ approach, and I spoke to them. If someone believes they have to save their energy for Saturday then it would be quite easy, but they said ‘no’ and want to show our style, identity and who we are by giving our best. For me you can’t say tomorrow is not important. We could put out the under-21s so we can train for the Villa game. But that is not what we want.
“When I was a younger manager in Austria I played a midweek cup tie against a non-league team and we had a derby at the weekend. I changed 11 players for the cup game but we were awful but everything went how we planned and we went through to the next round and every player was fit for the derby. But we went on to lose the derby 2-0 and I said I would never do it again.”
Arsenal plans
Arsenal’s priority for the rest of the season is the Champions League. The Gunners face Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals next week and do not have a game this weekend. Boss Mikel Arteta could also look to rotate his side - but he has suggested that he will not.
The Spaniard said: “We cannot think in those terms. I think when the players are fit and they are available and they want to play, they have to play. And they are at their best when they are playing and they have consistency in their performances.
“And physically they are good, emotionally they are good, their understanding and their rhythm and the way they make decisions is at their best. And that's why we need the players. If they are not available, there's no discussion. And if they are not in good condition to perform, we're not going to play them. And if they are, we are going to play them.”
Should Arsenal avoid defeat then Liverpool can win the Premier League title when they welcome Tottenham Hotspur to Anfield on Sunday (16.30pm BST).