🔗 Share this article

One might excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a restful few days with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth game of the campaign—a League Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. However, the suggestion that Palace could focus on other tournaments was quickly rejected by their boss.

"No, I do not believe that," declared Glasner following his team's side's four-one defeat to Leeds. "Should somebody informs me that we are defeated on purpose, the next day I'm not the manager any more."

There is a marked difference in Glasner's approach to domestic cup tournaments compared to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup last eight in his first complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had already been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner selected his first-choice team for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a encounter with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final tie ended in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a slightly debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at the interval. Now, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a strategy for payback versus the present Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was moved to this week owing to European obligations.

The Cost of Achievement and European Fatigue

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 European football for the very first time. These pressures are catching up with some exhausted players, many of whom have barely had a break all season.

The manager deployed an completely different team, including four youngsters, in their last Conference League fixture. However, for the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to select the majority of his first-choice side, which looked decidedly lethargic as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he said.

Arsenal's Perspective and Selection Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The boss must balance his ambition to win a another major trophy with considerable pragmatism. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that cup match but was forced to bring on his "big-hitters" after 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 have an eight-game unbeaten run against Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and a brace in a subsequent league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, looks set to begin for the first time since that setback. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are accustomed to it," said Arteta on the busy schedule. "I think this week was the sole full week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is going to be like this. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be ready."

With key players coming back from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal pose a formidable test for a Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the festive schedule ramps up.