Crystal Palace And Glasner Do Not Feel Pressure As FA Cup Holders

Oliver Glasner is targeting another trophy as Crystal Palace begin their FA Cup defence, but the head coach insists the status of holders does not change the approach as the team prepare for a third-round trip to Macclesfield on Saturday in this season’s competition.

Palace enter the FA Cup at the third-round stage after last season’s 1-0 win over Manchester City in May, when Eberechi Eze scored the decisive goal and secured the first major trophy in Crystal Palace’s 160-year history, a landmark that reshaped expectations around the club.

Glasner stressed that the squad view the new campaign as a fresh chase for silverware rather than a mission simply to protect what they already have, and highlighted that Crystal Palace remain active in three

tournaments, including the Premier League and Europa Conference League knockout rounds.

"We're still in three competitionsthe Premier League, of course, the Conference League in the knockout stage and now the FA Cup. I like the knockout stage, I always say 'do or die'. We will go to win the trophy again, but it's not about defending the trophy. Defending is always a bit passive; we want to win something, not defend it. And we don't need to defend it, we have won it, it's ours. The title will always stay in Crystal Palace history books, and now it's winning another. That's a positive goal, and that's what we want to do. "

The victory over Manchester City ensured Crystal Palace lifted the FA Cup for the first time, ending a wait that stretched back to the club’s formation. Glasner knows repeating that success would be rare, with only one of the previous 13 holders failing to clear the third round.

The recent pattern shows that 12 of the last 13 defending champions advanced from the third round, with Arsenal the only club to fall at that stage during the 2017-18 season after a 4-2 defeat to Nottingham Forest, underlining the usual strength of holders early in the competition.

"I don't feel any pressure being the holders, Glasner told BBC Sport. It was the first trophy for Crystal Palace in 160 years, so to replicate it would beI don't know the words. Maybe if you can do it for the first time in 160 years, you can do it for a second time the following year. It would be an incredible achievement. We start every competition with the goal to win it, especially a Cup competition. It takes five or six games to win it; you win a trophy and play European football again. "

Our @EmiratesFACup defence begins.Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) January 8, 2026

Crystal Palace FA Cup tie and Mateta absence

Crystal Palace will be without leading scorer Jean-Philippe Mateta for the Macclesfield match, as the forward continues to deal with a knee problem, and the coaching staff chose not to risk Mateta on the opposition’s artificial surface despite the importance of the FA Cup fixture.

Mateta has scored 10 goals in all competitions this season, but underlying numbers suggest there was scope for even more, with the striker’s tally falling short of a 16.1 expected goals figure, indicating that Crystal Palace are missing a regular source of high-quality chances for this FA Cup tie.

"Everything's under control, but we don't want to risk that he plays on astro [turf] and it gets worse. That's why he stays in London, Glasner addedin his press conference. "

Glasner’s comments show a clear focus on balancing Crystal Palace’s ambitions across the FA Cup, Premier League and Conference League with squad management, as the club aim to repeat last season’s historic FA Cup success while accepting that last year’s triumph already has a permanent place in Crystal Palace history.