Oliver Glasner is seeking a response from Nottingham Forest when his former club Crystal Palace visit in the Premier League, with Monday’s match set to add another chapter to the growing rivalry between the sides.
Glasner spent two years at Selhurst Park, guiding Palace to the FA Cup, the FA Community Shield and the UEFA Conference League before leaving at the end of his contract to pursue a new challenge. He is now overseeing Forest, who sit 13th with five points from their opening five league matches and return to action after a 1-0 defeat by Coventry City.
The Austrian believes Forest’s defensive consistency and attacking statistics offer encouragement, but accepts that his team must improve the quality and number of its chances. He also wants the club to reproduce its strong away form against Palace.
Pierre Sage’s Palace side are two places and one point behind Forest in the Premier League. The Eagles head into the meeting after a goalless draw away to Leeds United and face a demanding run of fixtures, with a Europa League match against Lyon followed by a trip to Brighton and Hove Albion.
The contest also carries European significance. Forest replaced Palace in last season’s Europa League after Palace were expelled because of a breach of multi-club ownership rules involving John Textor’s investment in both the Eagles and Lyon. Palace are now back in the Europa League, adding further context to the reunion with Forest.
Sage has acknowledged the importance of the occasion, pointing to the return of a former Palace manager and Daniel Munoz, who also left the club during the summer. He has called on the Selhurst Park support to provide an atmosphere that can help Palace in a fixture where fine margins are expected to matter.
