Glasner Hopes to Rally Jaded Palace as Revenge Versus Arsenal Looms.

You could excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a quiet few days with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth game of the season—a League Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. However, the suggestion that Palace might prioritize other competitions was swiftly rejected by their boss.

"No, I don't think so," remarked Glasner after his team's side's four-one loss to Leeds. "Should somebody tells me that we are defeated deliberately, the following day I'm not the coach any more."

There is a clear contrast in Glasner's strategy to domestic cup competitions compared 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 team had previously been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner picked his best lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final match concluded in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a somewhat controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at half-time. Now, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a strategy for revenge versus the current Premier League leaders in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week because of European obligations.

The Cost of Achievement and Continental Fatigue

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

The manager selected an entirely different lineup, featuring four teenagers, in their final Conference League fixture. However, ahead of the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to choose the majority of his preferred team, which appeared decidedly lethargic as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he stated.

The Gunners' Perspective 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. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that League Cup match but was forced to bring on his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a decisive goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game unbeaten run versus Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and a brace in a later league win before suffering a serious knee injury, is expected to begin for the first since then setback. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the busy schedule. "I think this week was the sole 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 semi-final of a tournament so we will be prepared."

Amid important players coming back from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal present a formidable test for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the holiday schedule ramps up.