🔗 Share this article

You could forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a quiet period with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth fixture of the season—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace could prioritize other tournaments was firmly dismissed by their head coach.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," stated Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 hammering to Leeds. "Should anyone informs me that we lose deliberately, the next day I'm not the manager anymore."

There exists a clear contrast in Glasner's philosophy to cup competitions compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his debut full season in charge. 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 best side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final match concluded in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, due to a somewhat controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must figure out a strategy for payback against the present Premier League leaders in a fixture that was moved to this week owing to European obligations.

The Price of Success and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final has ushered in the challenges of European football for the very first time. These pressures are catching up with several weary squad members, many of whom have barely had a break all season.

The coach deployed an completely changed side, featuring four teenagers, in their last Conference League match. However, for the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to select the bulk of his preferred side, which looked decidedly jaded as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he stated.

Arsenal's Perspective and Selection Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The manager must balance his ambition to win a another major trophy with considerable practicality. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that cup tie but was compelled to introduce his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a decisive goal in a move that left Glasner "incensed" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match unbeaten streak versus Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and two in a subsequent league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, looks set to start for the first since that setback. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

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

With key players returning from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal pose a formidable challenge for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the holiday schedule ramps up.