Palace should save players for what could be 'greatest night in club history'

[BBC]

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To rotate or not to rotate, that is the question...

With arguably the biggest game of Crystal Palace's history being just 13 days away, question marks over whether Oliver Glasner should start resting players have started to arise.

By the time we reach 27 May, Palace will be playing their 60th game of the season. That's 12 more than last year and you can definitely see it's taken a toll. This season has been incredible, our first ever taste of European football and I wouldn't change it for the world, but the fixture congestion has clearly had an impact.

Glasner is no stranger to moments like these. He's been here before with Eintracht Frankfurt in 2021 and he's made it very clear he doesn't want the squad mentally checking out before the final. It makes sense, you don't want players losing rhythm with one of the biggest games of their career around the corner.. but at the same time, we cannot afford injuries right now.

With our league position for next season mathematically secure and being unable to reach our season-best tally, there's not much left to prove domestically. Against Manchester City on Wednesday, we did see some rotation with Adam Wharton and Ismaila Sarr starting on the bench – although even then Glasner brought then on with 30 minutes remaining despite being 2-0 down, which did not do my nerves any favours.

With two league games remaining, I personally feel a few more players need protecting before the final, especially at the back. Maxence Lacroix has played 53 out of a possible 57 matches, which is absolutely crazy and at some point will become unsustainable.

At this point, the most important thing is to keep everyone fit. They've come too far and worked too hard for tired legs or needless injuries to ruin what could be the greatest night in our history.

Find more from Ellie Killick at Eagle Eye View