🔗 Share this article

You could excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a restful period with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth match of the campaign—a League Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. However, the idea that Palace could focus on other tournaments was quickly dismissed by their head coach.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," declared Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 hammering to Leeds. "Should somebody tells me that we lose deliberately, the following day I'm no longer the coach anymore."

There exists a stark contrast in Glasner's approach to domestic cup tournaments compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's run to the League Cup quarter-finals in his first full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had already been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner selected his first-choice team for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a showdown with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final match concluded in a three-two loss 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 plan 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 Continental 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 demands of continental football for the very first time. These pressures are taking a toll on some fatigued players, many of whom have hardly had a rest all term.

The coach fielded an completely different side, featuring four teenagers, in their last Conference League match. However, for the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "no option" but to pick the bulk of his preferred side, which looked extremely jaded as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Perspective and Selection Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The boss must juggle his desire to win a another major trophy with extreme pragmatism. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that cup tie but was forced to introduce his "key players" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial 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 are on an eight-game unbeaten run versus Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored 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, looks set to begin for the first since then setback. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "touching" 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 rest until February at least is going to be like this. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be prepared."

Amid key players coming back from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal pose a daunting test for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the festive period intensifies.