Glasner Rules Out 11 Crystal Palace Changes — Arsenal Crystal Palace Starting Lineups
Oliver Glasner has ruled out 11 changes for arsenal crystal palace starting lineups on Sunday, saying Crystal Palace will not send out a completely new team against Arsenal at Selhurst Park. The Palace manager had first considered heavy rotation, but the Champions League final-style schedule now leaves him weighing selection against recovery before Wednesday’s trip to Leipzig, Germany.
Glasner’s selection shift
“I change my opinion three times a day right now, from full rotation to no rotation to half rotation, and every starting line-up has a positive side and maybe negative sides,” Glasner said in his pre-Arsenal press conference. That uncertainty has settled into a clearer position: he later said he would not make 11 changes and thinks there will not be 11 new players in the lineup against Arsenal.
“I had this two or three times before at my other clubs, that's why I think we won't rotate 11 players,” he said. Palace are trying to balance a league match against the newly crowned champions with a cup final that arrives three days later, a gap that leaves little room for a full reset.
Palace recall December lesson
Glasner pointed back to December as the warning sign. Palace named two completely different starting lineups against KuPS Kuopio and Leeds in that span, and he used the Leeds performance as his cautionary example.
“I personally have so many negative experiences with big rotations. One we all experienced this season was KuPS and Leeds two days later,” he said. “I started 11 new players within two days, and I think it was one of our worst performances at Leeds with, on paper, 11 fresh players.” That is the clearest reason he moved away from the idea of a full overhaul before Arsenal visit Selhurst Park.
Arsenal arrive as champions
Arsenal’s status changed on Tuesday, when Manchester City failed to beat Bournemouth and the title was sealed before the visit to south London. Palace had even tried unsuccessfully to contact the Premier League about moving the final game of the season, but Sunday’s fixture remains in place.
For Palace, the immediate issue is no longer whether to chase freshness at all costs. Glasner has already shown the line he does not want to cross, and the team sheet on Sunday should reflect that by keeping most of the side intact before the Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday.
