🔗 Share this article

You could forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a restful period with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the campaign—a Carabao Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. However, the suggestion that Palace could focus on other competitions was swiftly rejected by their head coach.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," remarked Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 loss to Leeds. "If anyone tells me that we lose deliberately, the following day I'm no longer the coach anymore."

There is a marked contrast in Glasner's strategy to cup tournaments relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his first full season in command. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner fielded his best lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight tie ended in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a somewhat debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a strategy for payback versus the current Premier League leaders in a fixture that was moved to this week owing to European commitments.

A Price of Success and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own success. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the challenges of European football for the very first time. These demands are taking a toll on some weary players, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a break all season.

The manager selected an completely changed side, featuring four teenagers, in their last Conference League fixture. However, ahead of the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "no option" but to choose the bulk of his preferred team, which looked extremely jaded as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Perspective and Selection Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The boss must juggle his ambition to win a another major trophy with considerable practicality. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had made several changes for that League Cup match but was compelled to introduce his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play 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-game unbeaten run versus Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and a brace in a subsequent league win before suffering a serious knee injury, is expected to begin for the first since that setback. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are used to it," commented Arteta on the congested fixture list. "I think this week was the only complete week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is going to be similar. We have a wonderful chance to go into the last four of a competition so we will be prepared."

Amid important players coming back from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal present a formidable challenge for a Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the festive schedule intensifies.