Glasner Hopes to Rally Fatigued Palace as Revenge Against The Gunners Awaits.

You could excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a restful few days with his family in Austria before Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth game of the season—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. However, the suggestion that Palace might prioritize other tournaments was quickly dismissed by their manager.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 loss to Leeds. "Should anyone informs me that we are defeated on purpose, the following day I'm no longer the coach anymore."

There exists a clear contrast in Glasner's philosophy to cup competitions relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's run to the League Cup quarter-finals in his first full season in command. Under Hodgson, the club had already been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner picked his best lineup for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a showdown with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight match ended in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, following a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at half-time. Now, Glasner now faces the task to devise a strategy for revenge versus the present Premier League leaders in a fixture that was moved to this week owing to European obligations.

The Cost of Achievement and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has ushered in the demands of European football for the first time. These demands are catching up with some weary players, many of whom have hardly had a break all season.

The coach deployed an completely different team, including four youngsters, in their last Conference League match. Yet, for the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to choose the bulk of his first-choice team, which appeared decidedly jaded as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he stated.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Team Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The boss must juggle his desire to win a another major trophy with considerable pragmatism. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly damaged their title aspirations.

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

Arsenal are on an eight-game winning streak versus Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and a brace in a later league win before suffering a serious knee injury, looks set to begin for the first time since that injury. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are used to it," commented Arteta on the busy fixture list. "In my view this week was the only complete week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is going to be like this. We have a beautiful chance to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be prepared."

Amid important players returning from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal pose a daunting test for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the holiday period intensifies.