Oliver Glasner targets more joy against Liverpool on ‘dream’ Wembley return | OneFootball

Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner is convinced the Eagles are capable of instilling fear into Liverpool when they face the Premier League holders in the Community Shield and live out their “childhood dreams” at Wembley.

Palace will learn on Monday – via a verdict from the Court of Arbitration for Sport – whether they will compete in the Europa League or Conference League this season, but first will look to upset another top-flight giant after defeating Manchester City to claim their maiden major trophy in May.

The Eagles are unbeaten in their last three trips to Anfield, drawing twice and winning once – a fact that is not lost on Glasner, who will be relieved to shelve conversations about Palace’s legal drama and focus on another chance at silverware and the new campaign.

“That’s why we asked to play the Community Shield at Anfield, because we are unbeaten there,” joked the Austrian.

“But, again, nobody listens to us. But we (were) unbeaten at Wembley (last season), so that’s why we accepted it at the end.

“Honestly I don’t know why, but I’m always entering the games and have the confidence and the belief that we can win it. We showed it against Arsenal, we showed it against City, against Villa, last game against Liverpool.

“We know they are a great team, but I know we are a great team as well. We know that if we perform at our top level, I think no-one likes to play against us.”

Though the importance of Sunday’s prize yields varied opinions, Glasner, a man who revealed he is fiercely competitive even when playing Connect Four with his own daughter, needs no convincing about the significance of the occasion.

He said: “Go into any school, ask girls and boys where you want to play when you play football, and everybody will say ‘I would like to play once in my life at Wembley’.

“We all experience it now the third time within three months. That means we are living all of our childhood dreams, and this is how I will always see these games.”

Glasner confirmed both midfielder Cheick Doucoure (knee) and striker Eddie Nketiah (hamstring) are set for significant spells on the sidelines – the former also having missed the majority of the second half last season.

Matheus Franca, who has played just 381 minutes since signing in August 2023, is sidelined with yet another injury, this time to his adductor, while Chadi Riad (anterior cruciate ligament) is not expected back until October at the earliest.

Palace’s Wembley triumph – and Glasner’s role in it – cemented his status as one of the most celebrated figures in the club’s history but the 50-year-old revealed he surprisingly still enjoys a great deal of anonymity in London.

“I get recognised a little bit more,” he said. “But yesterday we had this Premier League meeting, I went by tube there and back. No selfies, nothing.

“So that’s the positive of everybody having their phone, because nobody looks at me, everybody looks at their phone, so it’s still nice to move through London.”

Asked if perhaps not sporting his lucky black jumper from Palace’s run to the FA Cup played a factor in rendering him unrecognisable, Glasner confirmed: “The jumper has done its job. The jumper is retired.”