Oliver Glasner Aims to Rally Weary Palace as Payback Against Arsenal Beckons.

One might excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a restful few days with his family in Austria before Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth game of the season—a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. However, the suggestion that Palace could prioritize other tournaments was firmly rejected by their manager.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," declared Glasner following his team's side's four-one defeat to Leeds. "Should anyone tells me that we are defeated deliberately, the following day I'm not the manager anymore."

There is a clear difference in Glasner's strategy to domestic cup tournaments relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's run to the League Cup last eight in his first full season 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. In contrast, Glasner fielded his strongest side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight match ended in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a somewhat controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at half-time. Now, Glasner must figure out a plan for revenge against the present Premier League pace-setters in a match that was moved to this week owing to European commitments.

The Cost of Achievement and European 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 ushered in the challenges of European football for the first time. These demands are catching up with several fatigued squad members, many of whom have barely enjoyed a break all season.

The coach fielded an entirely changed lineup, featuring four youngsters, in their final Conference League fixture. However, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to select the majority of his preferred team, which appeared decidedly jaded as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Selection Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The boss must balance his desire to win a another major trophy with extreme pragmatism. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that cup tie but was compelled to bring on his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "incensed" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match winning run versus Palace, including seven victories. 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, is expected to begin for the first time since then injury. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We are accustomed to it," said Arteta on the busy fixture list. "In my view this week was the sole full week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is going to be like this. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be ready."

With important 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 festive period intensifies.