🔗 Share this article

One might excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a restful period with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth fixture of the season—a League Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace could prioritize other competitions was firmly rejected by their manager.

"No, I do not believe that," declared Glasner following his team's side's four-one loss to Leeds. "Should somebody tells me that we lose on purpose, the next day I'm no longer the manager any more."

There is a clear contrast in Glasner's strategy to cup tournaments compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's run to the League Cup last eight in his debut complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner selected his best side for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final match ended in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, following a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must figure out a plan for payback against the current Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was moved to this week because of European commitments.

The Price of Success and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own success. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final has brought the challenges of European football for the very first time. These demands are catching up with several exhausted squad members, many of whom have hardly had a break all term.

The manager fielded an entirely changed team, including four youngsters, in their final Conference League match. Yet, for the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "no option" but to select the bulk of his first-choice side, which looked extremely jaded as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he stated.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Selection Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The manager must balance his ambition to win a another major trophy with extreme pragmatism. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that League Cup tie but was compelled to introduce his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "incensed" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match winning streak against Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and a brace in a later league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, is expected to begin for the first since that setback. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the busy schedule. "I think this week was the only full week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is going to be like this. We have a beautiful chance to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be ready."

With important players coming back from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal present a formidable challenge for a Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the holiday period intensifies.