🔗 Share this article

You could forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a quiet few days with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the season—a League Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. However, the idea that Palace could focus on other tournaments was swiftly dismissed by their head coach.

"No, I don't think so," declared Glasner following his team's side's four-one hammering to Leeds. "Should anyone tells me that we lose deliberately, the following day I'm no longer the coach anymore."

There exists a marked difference in Glasner's philosophy to cup competitions versus his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup last eight in his debut complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had already been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner fielded his strongest lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final match ended in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, following a somewhat debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at half-time. Now, Glasner now faces the task to devise a strategy for payback against the present Premier League pace-setters in a match that was rescheduled to this week because of European obligations.

A Price of Success and Continental Fatigue

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

The coach selected an completely different lineup, including four youngsters, in their last Conference League match. However, for the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "no option" but to choose the bulk of his preferred team, which looked decidedly jaded as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he said.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Selection Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The manager must balance his ambition to win a second major trophy with extreme pragmatism. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that League Cup tie but was compelled to introduce his "key players" following the break. Saka was introduced from 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 be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match winning streak against Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and two in a subsequent league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, looks set to begin for the first time since then injury. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We are used to it," commented Arteta on the busy fixture list. "I think this week was the sole full week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is going to be like this. We have a wonderful chance to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be prepared."

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