🔗 Share this article

You could forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a restful few days with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth game of the season—a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. However, the suggestion that Palace could prioritize other tournaments was swiftly dismissed by their head coach.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," remarked Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 loss to Leeds. "Should anyone tells me that we lose on purpose, the following day I'm not the coach any more."

There is a clear contrast in Glasner's strategy to domestic cup tournaments versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's run to the League Cup last eight in his first full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had already been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner selected his first-choice lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a encounter with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final match ended in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at half-time. Now, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a plan for revenge versus the current Premier League leaders in a match that was rescheduled to this week owing to European obligations.

A Cost of Success and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own success. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has brought the challenges of European football for the first time. These pressures are catching up with some weary squad members, many of whom have barely enjoyed a rest all term.

The manager deployed an entirely changed lineup, including four teenagers, in their final Conference League fixture. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "no option" but to pick the bulk of his preferred side, which looked decidedly jaded as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he stated.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Team Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The boss must juggle his ambition to win a second major trophy with considerable pragmatism. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had made several changes for that cup match but was forced to bring on his "key players" following the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "incensed" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game unbeaten streak against Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and a brace in a subsequent league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, is expected to begin for the first since that injury. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the congested fixture list. "In my view this week was the only full week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is going to be similar. We have a beautiful chance to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be ready."

Amid key players returning from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal present a daunting test for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the holiday schedule intensifies.