Glasner: It´s not every year that you´re playing a European quarter-final

Oliver Glasner has encouraged his Crystal Palace players to make the most of their Conference League clash with Fiorentina, telling them “it’s not every year that you’re playing a European quarter-final.”

The Eagles will face Fiorentina in the last eight after defeating AEK Larnaca 2-1 on aggregate prior to the international break.

It will be the first-ever meeting between Palace and Fiorentina in Europe. In fact, it will be the first time the Eagles have faced any Italian team on the European stage.

Palace are unbeaten across their last six games in the Conference League (W3 D3), keeping a clean sheet in each of their last two home games in the competition, winning 2-0 versus Zrinjski and drawing 0-0 with Larnaca.

Fiorentina, meanwhile, will be looking to reach the semi-finals of the Conference League for the fourth consecutive season, with no other side reaching that stage more than once.

Glasner believes the feeling around the club has improved due to their Conference League exploits, and the Palace boss insists they have what it takes to reach the semi-final.

“We will do our best to qualify for the semi-final. And that’s why we’re all looking forward,” Glasner said on the eve of Thursday’s home leg.

All eyes on tomorrow night pic.twitter.com/pNCpE77RrG

— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) April 8, 2026

“And I think this has affected the mood, the atmosphere at the training ground, because the players have really enjoyed it.

“We enjoyed ourselves, we enjoyed the football, we enjoyed the intensity [from the last game]. We have everything we will need to get a good result in the first leg.

“Now we’re entering crunch time. Hopefully, we have seven weeks to go. And as I told the players, it’s not every year in your career that you’re playing a European quarter-final.”