🔗 Share this article

You could forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a quiet period with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the campaign—a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. However, the notion that Palace might prioritize other competitions was swiftly rejected by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," stated Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 hammering to Leeds. "Should anyone tells me that we are defeated deliberately, the next day I'm no longer the manager any more."

There exists a stark contrast in Glasner's philosophy to cup competitions versus his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's run to the League Cup quarter-finals in his first complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had already been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner fielded his first-choice side for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a encounter with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight match concluded in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, due to a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must devise a plan for revenge versus the current Premier League leaders in a fixture that was moved to this week owing to European commitments.

The Price of Success and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own success. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final has brought the rigors of continental football for the first time. These pressures are catching up with several weary squad members, many of whom have barely had a break all term.

The coach selected an completely changed team, including four teenagers, in their final Conference League match. However, ahead of the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "no option" but to select the bulk of his first-choice side, which appeared decidedly lethargic as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Perspective and Team Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The boss must balance his desire to win a another major trophy with considerable pragmatism. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that League Cup match but was forced to introduce his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka came off the bench to assist 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 are on an eight-game unbeaten run versus Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and two in a subsequent league win before suffering a serious knee injury, looks set to begin for the first since that setback. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We are accustomed to it," said Arteta on the busy schedule. "In my view this week was the sole complete week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is going to be similar. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be prepared."

With key players returning from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal pose a formidable test for a Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the holiday period ramps up.