🔗 Share this article

You could excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a quiet period with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th game of the season—a League Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace could focus on other tournaments was swiftly dismissed by their boss.

"No, I don't think so," declared Glasner after his team's side's four-one hammering to Leeds. "Should somebody informs me that we are defeated deliberately, the following day I'm no longer the manager any more."

There is a clear difference in Glasner's philosophy to domestic cup competitions relative to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's journey to the League Cup quarter-finals in his debut complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner picked his best side for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight match ended in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a somewhat controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to devise a plan for payback versus the current Premier League leaders in a fixture that was moved to this week because of European commitments.

The Price of Achievement and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own success. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has brought the challenges of continental football for the first time. These pressures are catching up with some fatigued squad members, many of whom have barely had a break all term.

The manager fielded an completely changed side, including four teenagers, in their final Conference League match. Yet, for the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to pick the majority of his first-choice team, which looked decidedly lethargic as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he stated.

The Gunners' Perspective and Selection Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The boss must juggle his desire to win a second major trophy with considerable practicality. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that League Cup match but was compelled to introduce his "big-hitters" 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 potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match unbeaten streak versus Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and two in a later league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, looks set to begin for the first time since that setback. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the busy schedule. "In my view this week was the only full week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is will be like this. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be ready."

With key players returning from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal pose a daunting challenge for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the holiday period ramps up.