Humble Crystal Palace set for historic night as European journey begins | OneFootball

Oliver Glasner is not letting his in-form side get carried away and will not underestimate Dynamo Kyiv challenge in Conference League opener

Crystal Palace may be 18 games undefeated and fresh from beating the reigning Premier League champions, yet they are approaching their first-ever major European fixture with the same humility that has underpinned their success under Oliver Glasner.

Previous success in winning the Europa League with Eintracht Frankfurt in 2022 means nothing to Glasner, while for Guehi talk of a collapsed Deadline Day move to Liverpool is immaterial with his full focus on leading Palace into their Conference League opener against Dynamo Kyiv in Poland.

No Palace player will be flying too close to the sun while Glasner is at the helm; the emotion of last weekend’s 97th-minute winner against Liverpool has been quickly forgotten.

“They (the team) are ambitious, but we know it’s the beginning of the season. I have a lot of trust and confidence in the players’ mindset,” Glasner said.

Part of the trust Glasner talks about boils down to respect, and the Austrian says his team are not underestimating a Dynamo Kyiv side enjoying their own unbeaten start to the season.

“We have huge respect for Dynamo Kyiv, they are one of the two big teams from Ukraine,” he continued.

“It will be a good challenge. We are used to set-pieces. Every team tries to strengthen it.

“On the other side, we have to defend from it. Dynamo are scoring but also conceding many goals.

“We trust our strength, but we have respect for Dynamo Kyiv. It’s a great Conference League game.”

A busy schedule means there are likely to be changes from the team that beat Liverpool, with left wing-back Borna Sosa having started both legs as Palace beat Fredrikstad to qualify for the league phase.

Eddie Nketiah, the match-winner against Liverpool, will see his minutes managed, though, with Glasner keen not to rush the striker back from a hamstring injury that has restricted him to just 30 minutes of action this season.

Glasner has a near full-strength side to pick from in Poland, a luxury he knows he’s unlikely to have the benefit of once the season is in full flow and Palace’s squad is contesting two games a week on a regular basis.

For now, though, Palace aren’t focused on the potential pitfalls of European football; whatever happens, Glasner has delivered another historic night.