🔗 Share this article

One might forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a restful few days with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth game of the campaign—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace could prioritize other competitions was swiftly dismissed by their manager.

"No, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 hammering to Leeds. "Should somebody tells me that we are defeated on purpose, the next day I'm no longer the manager anymore."

There is a marked difference in Glasner's approach to cup competitions versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's run to the League Cup quarter-finals in his debut full season in command. Under Hodgson, the club had already been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner fielded his best lineup for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final match ended in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to devise a plan for revenge against the current Premier League leaders in a fixture that was moved to this week owing to European obligations.

The Cost of Achievement and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own success. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the demands of continental football for the first time. These pressures are catching up with some exhausted squad members, many of whom have hardly had a break all season.

The manager deployed an entirely changed side, featuring four youngsters, in their last Conference League match. However, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "no option" but to choose the majority of his preferred team, which appeared extremely jaded as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he said.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Selection Dilemmas

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

Arteta had implemented several changes for that cup match but was forced to bring on his "key players" after the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match winning run against Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and a brace in a subsequent league win before suffering a serious knee injury, is expected to start for the first time since then setback. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're used to it," said Arteta on the busy fixture list. "In my view this week was the only full week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is going to be similar. We have a wonderful chance to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be prepared."

With important players returning from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal present a daunting challenge for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the holiday period intensifies.