Crystal Palace boss talks a good game as history backs Aston Villa to progress
Crystal Palace will be “ready” for Aston Villa when they clash in the Carabao Cup tonight (7.45pm kick-off) - the Londoners believing that momentum is with them going into the fourth-round tie.
The Eagles have struggled this season, only winning their first Premier League game on Sunday - a 1-0 victory over Tottenham.
But Palace boss Oliver Glasner believes the timing of that success could be crucial to his side’s hopes at Villa Park.
He explained: “Villa are in quite good shape – they lead the Champions League table with three wins [from three matches] - but we will be ready.”
Referring to the victory over Spurs, secured thanks to Jean-Philippe Mateta's first-half finish, Glasner added: “I think it helps - for confidence it helps.
“Sometimes if you're always told 'you can, you can, you can', but when you always fail, there will be a moment when you lose your belief. This win helps to see that we can win against any team. We now know what is needed to win against the top teams.”
Glasner was a winner of the Europa League with previous club Eintracht Frankfurt in 2022, but insists it is still too early to talk about repeating the feat in the Carabao Cup.
He explained: “For me, every game, we go to win it. But it's just the last 16, you have nothing won yet, so it makes no sense now to be talking about when the final will be.
“It's now [all about] going to Villa, to Birmingham, and playing to win the game, but this is the mindset we always try to implement into the team - that we go out to win the game.”
The Eagles battered Norwich City 4-0 in the second round before edging a 2-1 triumph over QPR to set-up the Villa clash, but they are winless in their last seven trips to Villa Park in the Premier League - losing four of their last five.
The draw for the quarter-finals will take place later on Wednesday evening following Tottenham’s tie against Manchester City.