🔗 Share this article

One might excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a restful few days with his family in Austria before Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th game of the campaign—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. Yet, the notion that Palace could prioritize other tournaments was firmly dismissed by their boss.

"No, I don't think so," declared Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 loss to Leeds. "Should somebody tells me that we lose on purpose, the next day I'm no longer the manager anymore."

There exists a clear contrast in Glasner's approach to cup competitions compared to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his first complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner selected his best lineup for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight tie concluded in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a slightly debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at half-time. Now, Glasner must devise a plan for payback versus the present Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week because of European obligations.

The Price of Success and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the demands of European football for the first time. These demands are taking a toll on several fatigued squad members, many of whom have barely had a rest all season.

The coach deployed an completely changed lineup, including four youngsters, in their final Conference League match. However, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to pick the bulk of his preferred side, which appeared decidedly jaded as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he stated.

The Gunners' Perspective and Selection Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The boss must balance his desire to win a second major trophy with extreme pragmatism. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that League Cup tie but was forced to bring on his "key players" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match winning run against Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and two in a subsequent league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, looks set to start for the first since that injury. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the busy schedule. "In my view this week was the sole complete week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is will be like this. We have a wonderful chance to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be prepared."

Amid important players returning from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal pose a daunting challenge for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the festive period ramps up.