🔗 Share this article

You could forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a restful few days with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the campaign—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. However, the idea that Palace might prioritize other competitions was swiftly rejected by their head coach.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," declared Glasner following his team's side's four-one hammering to Leeds. "Should somebody informs me that we lose on purpose, the next day I'm no longer the coach any more."

There is a marked contrast in Glasner's strategy to domestic cup competitions relative to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his debut complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the team 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 side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final match ended in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, due to a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must devise a plan for revenge versus the present Premier League pace-setters in a match that was moved to this week owing to European obligations.

The Cost of Achievement and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own success. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has brought the rigors of continental football for the very first time. These demands are taking a toll on several exhausted players, many of whom have hardly had a break all season.

The manager selected an completely different side, featuring four teenagers, in their last Conference League match. However, for the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to pick the bulk of his first-choice team, which looked decidedly jaded as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he affirmed.

Arsenal's Perspective and Team Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The boss must juggle his desire to win a second major trophy with extreme pragmatism. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that League Cup tie but was forced to introduce his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" 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 streak against Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and a brace in a subsequent league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, looks set to begin for the first time since that setback. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are accustomed to it," said Arteta on the busy schedule. "In my view this week was the only full 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 last four of a tournament so we will be ready."

Amid important players coming back from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal pose a formidable test for a Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the holiday period intensifies.