‘Great memories’ – Roberto De Zerbi makes Crystal Palace admission amid Selhurst Park claim
Albion dominated their trip to Selhurst Park earlier this year but came away with a 1-1 stalemate as Pervis Estupinan's goal was wrongly chalked off for being offside.
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Hide AdHowever, after that match, head coach De Zerbi said it crystalised the belief the Seagulls set their sights on qualifying for Europe - something they achieved in an historic first for the club.
Now, ahead of facing the Eagles on the same ground on Thursday night, the Italian is determined to win in what should be a "hot atmosphere".
"I have a great memory about that game because it was the first time after the game we spoke about the target. I think it was the crucial day for us. We had never spoken about the Europa League or European target," he said.
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Hide Ad"After the game, there was a bad atmosphere inside the dressing room and I thought it could be the right moment to discover my target, our target.
"We deserved to win and everyone remembers very well, I think, the goal that was disallowed. It is a different season, a different game, different history of the game."
He added: "I think generally the players have played this type of game before. It’s an honour to play in this atmosphere and it’s a motivation. We want to win away, especially in a derby game, it’s a big motivation and is a big reason not to sleep tonight (Wednesday)."