Crystal Palace manager Pierre Sage knows he could do with another Europa League fillip as his side prepare to welcome Hoffenheim to Selhurst Park in an early kick-off on Thursday (5.45pm).
Sage needs a positive result given the team’s poor run of form, especially domestically. Palace have fared well in Europe and are through to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals but they’ve won just twice in the Premier League this season and the pressure is rising on Sage. He knows that a positive result against Christian Ilzer’s side will tee them up nicely for the far more important league fixture at home to Liverpool on Sunday.
Many suspect that the ensuing international break will be crucial to Sage’s job security.
Despite the outside noise, Sage appeared in relaxed mood on the eve of Thursday’s game.
Referencing Palace’s fight on three fronts, he said: “First of all, it’s exciting, because if we play in a European cup, it’s because the team did well last year and won the Conference League.
“We have to deal with that, but it’s a good thing. To deal with three different competitions, for the process, it’s always the same because we prepare in the same way.
“The difference between the three competitions is the time we have before the games to prepare. This time we have three sessions before the game, one more than the two [games] before, and that’s really important because we need time to work, especially when we’re in our situation.
“What we did during these sessions was really important for the confidence of the players, for their understanding of the game plan, and for their capacity to apply it.”
Jean-Phillipe Mateta can feature on Thursday night, despite being sent off in his last game. The French forward was dismissed against Tottenham and lost a subsequent appeal meaning he’ll sit out three league games this month but can feature still in Europe.
Another boost comes with the update that Quinten Timber and Jorgen Strand Larsen should both be fit to face the Germans.
