Glasner: I Will Not Sacrifice Premier League Games For Conference League Pursuit

Oliver Glasner stated Crystal Palace will not rest key players in the Premier League to focus on the Conference League, despite a 0-0 draw with West Ham United that followed their 4-2 aggregate win over Fiorentina in the quarter-finals and left the team secure in mid-table.

The manager stressed that Premier League fixtures remain important, even with a Conference League semi-final ahead against Shakhtar Donetsk on April 30 and a demanding trip to Anfield to face Liverpool before that, with Crystal Palace currently 11 points clear of the relegation places and 12 behind the top five.

Asked if Crystal Palace might be protected in league games before the Conference League tie, Glasner told BBC Sport: "No. They will have two days of rest before Liverpool,

then we start preparing. Five days after is the semi-final. We will be fresh, there is enough time. Maybe after the first leg we will have to rotate, but as long as the players are in shape, we will keep playing the freshest players and minds. "

Glasner had already shown some rotation against West Ham United, making four changes from the Fiorentina second leg, with midfielder Adam Wharton missing through injury and Jean-Philippe Mateta, Ismaila Sarr and Daichi Kamada among those initially left out, though the coach still avoided a complete reshuffle and kept the core structure intact.

Crystal Palace and West Ham United each produced nine attempts at goal during the match, yet Palace hit the target only once while West Ham managed four efforts on goal, and the expected goals numbers underlined the balance, with the home side finishing on 0.68 xG and their visitors recording 0.61 xG.

Team	Shots	Shots on Target	Expected Goals (xG)
Crystal Palace	9	1	0.68
West Ham United	9	4	0.61

The closest Crystal Palace came to breaking the deadlock arrived late on, when substitute Ismaila Sarr swivelled and finished after Jean-Philippe Mateta challenged for a high ball, but the goal was ruled out as the ball struck Mateta's arm in the build-up, denying the hosts a decisive moment at Selhurst Park.

Crystal Palace Premier League record and Conference League ambitions

The 0-0 draw marked Crystal Palace's sixth goalless league game of the campaign, the highest tally for a single Premier League season by any side since Newcastle United recorded seven during the 2022-23 campaign, further underlining a pattern of tight matches for Glasner's team this year.

Reflecting on the West Ham United match and Crystal Palace's display, Glasner said: "I felt like it was a game to win, Glasner continued. The areas they gave us, we didn't really take them well enough. We defended very well, though, so credit to the team. Their biggest threat was the set-plays. From open play, we more or less controlled everything, but in possession we moved the ball a bit too slowly. Also, credit to West Ham, who defended the box very well. I think at our best we could have won the game. Maybe Nuno would say the same. "

With Crystal Palace relatively safe in the Premier League table and the Conference League semi-final against Shakhtar Donetsk approaching, Glasner appears determined to balance domestic consistency with European progress by relying on players in good physical condition rather than large-scale rotation, while still acknowledging the need to adjust if demands rise after the first leg.