🔗 Share this article

You could forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a quiet few days with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the season—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace could prioritize other tournaments was firmly rejected by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 loss to Leeds. "Should somebody informs me that we lose on purpose, the next day I'm no longer the manager any more."

There is a stark difference in Glasner's philosophy to cup competitions compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his debut complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner fielded his strongest team for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a showdown with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight match ended in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to devise a plan for payback against the current Premier League pace-setters in a match that was rescheduled to this week because of European commitments.

A Price of Success and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own success. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final has ushered in the challenges of European football for the first time. These demands are catching up with some exhausted squad members, many of whom have barely enjoyed a break all term.

The manager selected an entirely changed lineup, including four youngsters, in their final Conference League fixture. However, ahead of the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to choose the majority of his preferred team, which looked extremely lethargic as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Selection Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The boss must juggle his ambition to win a second major trophy with considerable pragmatism. The previous season, a hamstring 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 match but was forced to introduce his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a decisive goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match winning streak against Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and two in a subsequent league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, is expected to begin for the first since then injury. 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 congested schedule. "I think this week was the sole full week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is will be similar. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be ready."

Amid key players returning from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal pose a daunting test for a Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the holiday schedule intensifies.