🔗 Share this article

You could forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a restful period with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth fixture of the season—a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. However, the suggestion that Palace could focus on other tournaments was swiftly rejected by their head coach.

"No, I do not believe that," declared Glasner following his team's side's four-one defeat to Leeds. "Should anyone informs me that we are defeated deliberately, the next day I'm no longer the coach anymore."

There exists a stark difference in Glasner's philosophy to domestic cup tournaments relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup last eight in his first full season in command. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner selected his best side for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a showdown with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight tie concluded in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, due to a slightly controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at the interval. Now, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a plan for revenge against the present Premier League pace-setters in a match that was moved to this week owing to European commitments.

A Price of Achievement and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own success. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the rigors of European football for the first time. These pressures are taking a toll on some fatigued squad members, many of whom have barely had a break all term.

The manager selected an completely changed side, featuring four teenagers, in their final Conference League fixture. However, for the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "no option" but to select the majority of his preferred side, which looked decidedly jaded as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

Arsenal's Perspective and Team Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The manager must juggle his desire to win a second major trophy with extreme pragmatism. Last year, 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 compelled to bring on his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match unbeaten run against Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and a brace in a later league win before suffering a serious knee injury, is expected to begin for the first since then setback. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We are used to it," said Arteta on the congested schedule. "I think this week was the only full week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is going to be similar. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be ready."

With key players coming back from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal pose a formidable challenge for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the festive period ramps up.