The China Mail - Departing Glasner wants no sadness as Palace eye European glory

The south London side are on the verge of reaching the Conference League final, with the Eagles 3-1 up from the first leg of their semi-final against Shakhtar Donetsk ahead of Thursday's return at Selhurst Park.

Should Palace make it through to the showpiece fixture in Leipzig on May 27, it promises to be Glasner's final game in charge after the 51-year-old Austrian manager announced earlier in the season that he would leave when his contract expires in June.

Glasner guided Crystal Palace to 2025 FA Cup glory in his first full season in charge as the Eagles lifted the first major trophy in their history. They also won the Community Shield at the start of this season.

But Palace's FA Cup defence ended prematurely as they were dramatically knocked out in the third round by non-league Macclesfield in January.

Glasner announced the following week that he would leave the club at the end of the campaign in what appeared to be a protest at Palace's transfer policy.

"I made my decision and I have my reasons, but as I've always said, we want to end the season in the best possible way -- and now we have the chance to do it," Glasner told a pre-match press conference on Wednesday.

"Now is not the time to get melancholic. It's about staying focused."

He added: "I tell the players very often: don't do anything for me, do it for yourselves, do it for the club, do it for the fans, because winning the Conference League means European football again next year at Selhurst."

"The players tasted the honey last year with the FA Cup. This year it's the Conference League and they want honey again. They won't be happy with just avocado, so they want it a bit sweeter."

Should Palace see off Shakhtar, they would face either Strasbourg or Rayo Vallecano in the final.

But Glasner, whose side were beaten 3-0 by Bournemouth in the Premier League last weekend, is taking nothing for granted against the Ukrainians.

"We will need another great performance, but of course we will play the game with a lot of confidence at home. We know we will have fantastic support from our fans."

L.Johnson--ThChM