Crystal Palace head coach Oliver Glasner has urged his squad to summon their inner Rocky Balboa as they prepare to take on Arsenal in the Carabao Cup quarter-final.
The Eagles were left reeling at the weekend after suffering a heavy blow at Leeds United, shipping four goals from set-pieces in a chastening 4-1 defeat.
Despite that setback, Palace must quickly regroup, with just 90 minutes standing between them and a first League Cup semi-final appearance in 14 years – and a two-legged showdown with Chelsea lying in wait.
Awaiting them next are Premier League leaders Arsenal, widely regarded as the division’s set-piece specialists over the past two seasons and already boasting 10 goals from dead-ball situations in the league this campaign.
Glasner has challenged his players to respond aggressively against elite opposition as they look to put their Elland Road struggles behind them.
“In a cup competition, it’s always do or die,” said Glasner. “It’s a big opportunity, but on the other side, we know which team we are playing.
“There are always two possibilities to react when you are so weak in defending set pieces. The first is to have concerns and be worried. But my feeling and experience tell me that you will get the next punishment.
“The other one is to see it as a challenge. I don’t know how many setbacks I’ve had in my life. OK, we were knocked down in round three, but still nine rounds to go.
“If you’re always concerned about everything, it’s the wrong mindset. Take the lessons, see it as a challenge and say, OK, we will do it better. No training, but we will do it better.
“We know we can do it better. We showed this so often. We have a chance to do it better. As soon as we feel like victims, or have concerns and worries and are scared, there’s no chance.
“Arsenal will have a few set-pieces. It’s about not always talking about it and making it a big problem. It’s a good challenge, and if we take this challenge, we can grow and learn from it.”