🔗 Share this article

You could excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a restful few days with his family in Austria before Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the season—a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. However, the notion that Palace might focus on other competitions was quickly rejected by their head coach.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," stated Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "Should somebody tells me that we lose on purpose, the next day I'm no longer the coach anymore."

There is a stark contrast in Glasner's philosophy to domestic cup tournaments relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup last eight in his debut full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had already been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner selected his strongest lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a encounter with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight tie concluded in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a slightly debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a plan for payback against the present Premier League leaders in a match that was rescheduled to this week owing to European obligations.

The Price of Success and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has ushered in the rigors of European football for the very first time. These demands are taking a toll on several exhausted players, many of whom have hardly had a break all season.

The manager fielded an completely changed team, featuring four teenagers, in their final Conference League match. Yet, for the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to select the majority of his first-choice team, which appeared decidedly jaded as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he stated.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Team Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The manager must juggle his ambition to win a another major trophy with extreme practicality. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that cup match but was forced to introduce 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 repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game unbeaten run against Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and two in a later league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, is expected to begin for the first time since that setback. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are accustomed 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 ready."

Amid key players coming back from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal pose a formidable challenge for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the holiday schedule intensifies.