🔗 Share this article

One might excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a restful few days with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth game of the season—a Carabao Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. However, the suggestion that Palace could focus on other competitions was firmly dismissed by their boss.

"No, I don't think so," declared Glasner following his team's side's four-one hammering to Leeds. "Should anyone informs me that we are defeated deliberately, the next day I'm not the manager anymore."

There is a clear contrast in Glasner's philosophy to domestic cup competitions compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup last eight in his first full season in command. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner picked his first-choice lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight match ended in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must figure out a strategy for payback against the present Premier League pace-setters in a match that was moved to this week because of European obligations.

The Price of Success and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own success. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the rigors of European football for the very first time. These pressures are taking a toll on some weary squad members, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a break all term.

The manager selected an entirely changed side, including four youngsters, in their final Conference League fixture. However, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "no option" but to choose the majority of his first-choice side, which looked extremely lethargic as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he said.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Team Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The boss must balance his desire to win a another major trophy with considerable practicality. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had made several changes for that League Cup tie but was compelled to bring on his "key players" after the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a decisive goal in a move that left Glasner "incensed" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match unbeaten streak against Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and a brace in a subsequent league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, looks set to begin for the first since that setback. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We are used to it," commented Arteta on the congested schedule. "I think this week was the sole full week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is will be like this. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be ready."

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