🔗 Share this article

One might excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a quiet few days with his family in Austria before Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the campaign—a League Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. However, the idea that Palace might focus on other competitions was firmly dismissed by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner after his team's side's four-one hammering to Leeds. "Should somebody informs me that we are defeated on purpose, the next day I'm not the coach anymore."

There is a clear difference in Glasner's strategy to domestic cup competitions versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's run to the League Cup last eight in his debut complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner selected his best team for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a encounter with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight match ended in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a somewhat debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a plan for revenge versus the current Premier League pace-setters in a fixture 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 achievements. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the demands of continental football for the very first time. These pressures are catching up with several fatigued squad members, many of whom have barely had a break all season.

The manager deployed an entirely changed lineup, featuring four youngsters, in their final Conference League match. However, for the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "no option" but to choose the majority of his first-choice side, which looked decidedly jaded as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he stated.

The Gunners' Perspective and Team Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances 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 suffered in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that League Cup match but was forced to bring on his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a decisive goal in a move that left Glasner "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match winning streak against Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and a brace in a later league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, is expected to start for the first since that injury. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're accustomed to it," said Arteta on the busy fixture list. "I think this week was the sole 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."

With key players returning from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal present a formidable challenge for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the holiday schedule intensifies.