Oliver Glasner has said Crystal Palace's players know they can write another chapter in club history tomorrow, ahead of the decisive leg of their UEFA Conference League semi-final with Shakhtar Donetsk.
The Palace Manager discussed his side's mentality ahead of the crunch second leg at Selhurst Park, with the opportunity to play for a third trophy in the last year potentially just 90 minutes away.
Glasner also spoke, however, of the threat that Shakhtar will pose, and how he expects them to adapt to Palace's 3-1 first-leg lead; the club's progress in the Conference League; and his group of players.
Read on below for all the key quotes...
If I wouldn't be excited for such a big game as tomorrow, and we can play the European final, it would be the wrong job for me. It’s why we all love to be a player, love to be a manager, love to be involved.
I think everybody is excited, and if you lose this excitement, then for me it would be a clear sign to retire. I'm enjoying it.
I told the players today I'm really enjoying being part of this incredible group. What they have done for Crystal Palace in the last two years is just incredible.
For such a long time it feels like it's always been like this, but now maybe it's because I'm leaving in summer and I get recognised more and more in London, and people are talking to me and fans are talking to me, what they're telling me is that it's really something special.
For us, we're in this three-day rhythm and then preparing, analysing, preparing, analysing, and all this stuff. But what these players have done for Crystal Palace in the last two years is just incredible.
They've played in the Premier League, such great and big games, winning the FA Cup, then the Community Shield, a great start into the season, and now being close to playing in the European final. I think this has been, for a few years, this has been so far away from Crystal Palace, and now it's, I don't know how you say it, it's close to reality.
And this makes this excitement for all of us because we know we can write history again.
We know that we can give the fans some moments that will stay forever, and I think I mentioned it after the FA Cup, this is maybe the best thing you can have in your job. If you give the people who are supporting you, if you give the people who are watching you, if you give the people who are reading about you, some excitement in their life, this is what we want to give to them.
And that's why we're really looking forward to the second leg.
It’s really the players, because they're always listening, they're working so hard.
Tomorrow is the 55th game, and in the morning, we always have one or two pre-match meetings, let's say 150 meetings, and they always hear me talking. Today, we had another meeting, and then the players come in, I'm standing in front of the screen, and I like it, and then they're talking together, they're laughing, they're having fun.
It's still, it's not ‘oh, next game’ – they're enjoying the atmosphere at the training ground. Sometimes I let them talk for one more minute, even the time we should start, because I just like to watch them, how they have fun, and this is something special.
We have hopefully three weeks to go together. We want to end the season in the best possible way, and now we have the chance to do it. The players have to stay focused, I have to stay focused, because it's not now celebrating, or having a farewell dinner every single night. It's now staying focused, supporting the players as well as I can, together with my staff, preparing the players as good as we can, and then: let's go.
I'm saying this very often: don't do anything for me, you don't need it. Do it for yourself, do it for the club, do it for the fans, because winning the Conference League means European football again next year at Selhurst for Crystal Palace.
For all the players, they tasted the honey last year with the FA Cup. This year was the Conference League, and they want honey again – they won't be happy with just avocado!
They attacked us there as well. They are an attacking team, and when you start, with seven Brazilian players, and four Ukrainian internationals, you are an attacking team. This is what they have shown, attacking players up front, attacking midfielders, attacking full-backs.
We know exactly how they’re going play, but it’s one thing knowing it, and then another executing the plan, in the best way, on the pitch. That’s why have to stay focused. I think we know what we have to do.
I was very pleased with the first-leg result, I was very pleased with how we defended, and how we played our transitions and created chances, and scored the goals, but I think we didn't really play well in possession, because they pressed us and we didn't find quick solutions, and were sometimes too slow.
This is a well-organised team, a very hard-working team, and this is maybe probably their stage, where they want to show, being seen all over Europe. When they play international football, this is their stage, and I thin they want to use this stage, for their personal future, and also for Shakhtar.
I really enjoyed all the European nights at Selhurst. I think, like we had to grow into this competition, I think our fans maybe had to grow into the competition as well at home.
They were always travelling around Europe, but for me, the level of excitement increased, and increased, and it was really on a top level against Fiorentina.
I expect and really believe, because I know the fans now quite well, they will top the Fiorentina atmosphere again, and this is what we hope, and what we love.
It makes me very proud. I don't want to have a summary of the year because it’s not over – we’ll have a few more press conferences!
Sometimes I can be quite demanding and quite harsh, but on the other side, I think this is what the players know, everything I'm telling them, I want the best for them.
Jaydee [Canvot] made a few mistakes, and we spoke about it. When he makes mistakes, it's part of development, and it's part of progress. We're all worried about making mistakes, and I made many mistakes this season as well, but mistakes are just feedback. If you can take this feedback for the future, for learning, then you will grow as a player and as a person.
This is what Jaydee did, growing as a person, growing as a player. This is what many other players did. This is just how sports works, this is how life works, and if you can deal with this, then you can progress and become a better player. I think we have a lot of evidence.
We know the starting position is good, but it's just the start, and it’s the second-half to play tomorrow.
They will try everything. Shakhtar can’t change their style of play because this is how they always play, this is how they are successful. They are leading the Ukrainian league by many points, they just won against Dynamo Kyiv, this is how they qualified for the semi-finals of the Conference League.
They will play their style, and I think we can have the answer. This is what we have shown in Krakow but we need it, again, on Thursday.
I think nobody believes [the tie is done]. We could see how good Shakhtar are as a team, and also their players, quick players, good dribblers, and we will need another great performance.
But of course we play the game tomorrow with a lot of confidence at Selhurst. We know we will have fantastic support from our fans. We could feel it against Fiorentina at home, and I think and believe it will be a bit more electric tomorrow, and that’s what we need.
Then, it’s playing our game and giving our best. We know what we need to do, we don’t need to change a lot. We don’t need to find something that we didn’t find right now, it’s just really playing at our best level – and this is what we will try tomorrow.
Crystal Palace v Shakhtar Donetsk