🔗 Share this article

One might excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a restful period with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth game of the season—a League Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace might focus on other tournaments was firmly rejected by their manager.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," declared Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 loss to Leeds. "Should somebody tells me that we are defeated on purpose, the next day I'm no longer the coach anymore."

There exists a marked difference in Glasner's strategy to cup tournaments compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup last eight in his debut complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner fielded his strongest lineup for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a encounter with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final tie ended in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at half-time. Now, Glasner must devise a plan for revenge against the current Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was moved to this week because of European obligations.

The Price of Success and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final has brought the demands of continental football for the first time. These demands are taking a toll on some fatigued squad members, many of whom have barely enjoyed a break all season.

The manager deployed an completely different side, including four youngsters, in their final Conference League fixture. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "no option" but to select the bulk of his first-choice team, which looked decidedly lethargic as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he said.

The Gunners' Perspective and Team Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The manager must juggle his ambition to win a another major trophy with considerable practicality. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that cup tie but was compelled to bring on his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game winning run versus Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and two in a subsequent league win before suffering a serious knee injury, looks set to begin for the first since then setback. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're used to it," commented Arteta on the busy fixture list. "I think this week was the sole full week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is will be similar. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be ready."

With key players returning from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal pose a daunting challenge for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the festive schedule intensifies.