Tyrick Mitchell has said that the Crystal Palace squad ‘know what they are capable of’ ahead of a Conference League semi-final clash against Shakhtar Donetsk. The left back referenced Palace’s previous successes in the FA Cup and the Community Shield as reasons behind his confidence.
Tyrick Mitchell has warned that the Crystal Palace squad ‘know what we’re capable of’ ahead of their Conference League semi-final against Shakhtar Donetsk.
Crystal Palace have travelled to Krakow for what is set to be a hugely tense and nervy occasion in the Polish city.
The Eagles successfully got past Fiorentina in the quarter-finals of the competition, after having to go the hard way in the play-offs, having finished outside the top eight places.
Now Palace are just three matches from yet another trophy with this squad and under Oliver Glasner, having already won the FA Cup and Community Shield.
Mitchell insists that Palace are in good spirits ahead of such a big game and that they know both the size of the challenge and how good they are.
He said: “I think the mood is very positive. We know what we're capable of, and watching Shakhtar, we know how dangerous they are. They're a good team.
“They played in the Champions League last year, so we know their qualities, but we're confident.
“I think winning trophies is the main thing in football and it always gives you confidence.
“We know this competition is a difficult competition, but we showed last year, with the teams we played in the FA Cup, that we can match a lot of teams, so I think it gave us a lot of confidence.”
There would be every reason to be nervous at being in such a massive game, but Mitchell insists the only emotion he is feeling is happiness at reaching this level of the competition.
He said: “I think getting into a semi-final of a European competition, you have to be happy, and you have to be grateful for what you've achieved so far.
“For me, it's my first time [playing in Europe], so the only feeling is happiness.
“I think that's the main thing about football; you've got to be happy going into any game, any situation.”
Understandably, there is a lot of love and respect for Glasner from Mitchell, with the Austrian transforming him into one of the best left backs in the Premier League.
“I think the gaffer has been massive for me since he's come in, especially with his attention to detail,” Mitchell added.
“I think that's one of the main things, I know exactly what I have to do in the game and what he expects from me, so it's easy for him to depend on me, when I know exactly what he needs from me.
“I'm just getting better at what he's telling me because he's someone who knows a lot about football.
“He knows a lot about winning European competitions, so it's just about listening to him and following what he wants me to do on the pitch.”