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Oliver Glasner's approach to Crystal Palace's final games of the season may have cost him one of his key players for Sunday's Premier League season finale with Arsenal in Chris Richards.
The Gunners are potentially just one game away from winning the title, needing to beat Palace on Sunday to complete the job, but the Eagles will not be taking it easy.
Despite having a Conference League final with Rayo Vallecano just after the season, Glasner wants his men to be in full rhythm, and he has vowed to play a strong team.
He also played a strong team during the weekend's 2-2 draw with Brentford, but one of his key players in defener Chris Richards paid a small price. Richards was forced off with a twisted ankle early in the game, and while the injury is not serious, it may cost the defender the last game of the season.
Crystal Palace face a Chris Richards injury scare before hosting Arsenal
Glasner said after the game: “He twisted his ankle. It is quite swollen, so we will have to assess it further. But hopefully he can return midweek.”
Richards has a full week to recover, but with that Europa League final just three days after the curtain-closer with Arsenal, it would be a big surprise if Glasner took any risks, meaning the American defender will have to be fully fit to have any chance of playing against Arsenal.
Of course, it's not right to take any joy from a player's injury, but it is undoubtedly a boost for Arsenal, who could face a weakened Palace defence in a game they will need to win.
And Palace's defence has not been playing well in any case, conceding 11 goals in their last five games across all competitions, including five in their last two outings, which have come against Brentford and Manchester City.
What Arsenal do know is that Palace still won't be playing any sort of weakened side despite the injury scare. Glasner has reaffirmed: “We will play the strongest team against Arsenal. We do it for us, we don’t do it for City and we don’t do it for Arsenal. We do it for Crystal Palace and we do it for our fans.
“It’s the last game at Selhurst, they deserve to see a top performance. This is what we want to show against Arsenal. Of course, we will manage the minutes a little bit, because we have to. But that doesn’t change anything.”
That is not ideal for the Gunners, but they have their fate in their own hands, and they are more than capable of winning, especially given what is at stake.
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