Record-setting Eagles flying ahead of Everton trip
Crystal Palace travels to Everton on Monday (AEDT) riding high on a club-record 19-match unbeaten streak but manager Oliver Glasner said protecting that sequence is not a priority.
Palace's first European match ended with a 2-0 win against Dynamo Kyiv in the UEFA Conference League on Friday (AEST) and it has not lost a match in any competition since 17 April (AEST).
"All the credit to the players, because they have to perform on the pitch and they have to work so hard that we can get these results," Glasner, who led Palace to FA Cup glory last season, said.
"But honestly, we don't talk about the run in our meetings, or on the pitch.
"The approach is the same. We don't go to Everton saying, 'Let's just extend the run'. We go there and will try to win. Every win, every good performance, increases the self-confidence, and this is what we can see."
The London club has been in stunning form and inflicted a first defeat of the season on Premier League defending champion Liverpool last week to move third on the table.
While Glasner prefers not to focus on the 19-match unbeaten run, the longest in Europe's top five leagues, the statistics of it illustrate why the Austrian's reputation has risen sky high.
The Eagles have scored 28 goals in those 19 games, conceded 12 and kept nine clean sheets, while seven of the matches in the streak were against the Premier League's traditional 'big six'.
Palace's previous longest unbeaten run came between February and August in 1969 when it went 18 without defeat before a trip to Everton ended it.
Glasner will hope that history does not repeat itself, but knows Everton will be a tough hurdle.
"I don't think Everton have struggled. They drew against West Ham [United last week]. They lost a very tight game against Liverpool, and I think they had a very good performance against them," Glasner said.
"They've made a few signings, like Jack Grealish – a great player, a fantastic dribbler – and I think he's near the top for creating the most chances."
