🔗 Share this article

You could forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a restful few days with his family in Austria before Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth match of the campaign—a League Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace could prioritize other tournaments was swiftly dismissed by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," stated Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "If anyone informs me that we are defeated on purpose, the next day I'm not the manager any more."

There exists a stark difference in Glasner's philosophy to cup tournaments versus his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup last eight in his first full season in command. Under Hodgson, the club had already been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner fielded his first-choice lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight match concluded in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a somewhat controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to devise a plan for payback versus the current Premier League leaders in a match that was moved to this week owing to European obligations.

A Cost of Success and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has brought the rigors of continental football for the first time. These pressures are catching up with several weary players, many of whom have barely had a rest all season.

The coach fielded an entirely changed lineup, including four youngsters, in their last Conference League match. Yet, for the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "no option" but to select the majority of his first-choice side, which looked extremely jaded as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he said.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Team Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The manager must juggle his desire to win a second 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 greatly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had made several changes for that League Cup match but was forced to introduce his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a decisive goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game unbeaten run versus Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and a brace in a subsequent league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, is expected to begin for the first time since then setback. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

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

With key players coming back from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal pose a formidable challenge for a Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the holiday schedule ramps up.