The Austrian left Palace at the end of last season after guiding them to the FA Cup and Community Shield, as well as the UEFA Conference League. His appointment at Forest has nevertheless raised eyebrows, given the tension between the clubs and the circumstances surrounding his move.
Glasner insists he does not want to become the focus of Sunday's Premier League meeting, preferring attention to remain on the players and the contest itself.
“I know it will be, but I don't want to be in the middle of all the comments and the stories about this game,” he said.
“At the end, it will be Forest against Palace. It will be the players on the pitch who decide the game.”
Glasner spent more than two years at Selhurst Park, developing close relationships with players and staff that he says remain important to him. He hopes supporters will look back on the period with pride rather than allow his departure to overshadow what the team achieved.
“What I would love is that everybody, if they look back, they should look back at the emotions they had when they attended the final at Wembley, when they attended the final at Leipzig, when they watched the Community Shield,” he said.
“How much joy they had, how much they enjoyed themselves, how much they enjoyed being a Crystal Palace fan.”
The 52-year-old also defended his approach to management, saying he had always given everything to the club he was working for. He accepts that not every supporter will agree with his decisions, but believes honesty matters more than saying what people want to hear.
Glasner told Palace chairman Steve Parish in October last year that he would not sign a new contract, giving the club nine months to prepare for his departure. He said the decision was not made against Palace, but that he considered it fair to communicate his intentions early.
His move to Nottingham Forest came later, after discussions with owner Evangelos Marinakis and consideration of the squad's potential and the club's ambitions.
“I could have waited until the last day, and I could have signed another contract there. But I think it's fair when I have taken the decision,” Glasner said.
He understands that some Palace fans may boo him, recalling that supporters had previously reacted negatively when he urged humility during a difficult run of league results. He says he will accept their response.
Glasner now wants to build success at Forest, while hoping his former supporters remember the celebrations they shared during his time in south London.