One might forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a quiet period with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth match of the campaign—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace could prioritize other competitions was firmly rejected by their manager.
"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," declared Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "If anyone tells me that we are defeated on purpose, the following day I'm not the manager anymore."
There is a stark contrast in Glasner's approach to domestic cup tournaments versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup last eight in his debut complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had already been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner fielded his first-choice lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a encounter with Arsenal.
That prior quarter-final tie ended in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, due to a slightly controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at half-time. Now, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a strategy for payback against the present Premier League leaders in a match that was rescheduled to this week owing to European commitments.
The Price of Success and Continental Exhaustion
Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final has brought the challenges of European football for the first time. These pressures are catching up with some weary squad members, many of whom have hardly had a break all term.
The manager deployed an entirely changed side, featuring four youngsters, in their last Conference League fixture. However, ahead of the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to choose the majority of his preferred side, which appeared decidedly lethargic as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he stated.
Arsenal's Viewpoint and Selection Considerations
For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The manager must balance his desire to win a second major trophy with considerable practicality. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly harmed their title hopes.
Arteta had implemented several changes for that League Cup match but was compelled to bring on his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a decisive goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.
Arsenal are on an eight-game unbeaten streak against Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and a brace in a subsequent league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, is expected to start for the first since that setback. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.
"We are used to it," commented Arteta on the busy fixture list. "I think this week was the sole full week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is will be like this. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the last four of a competition so we will be prepared."
With important players coming back from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal pose a daunting test for a Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the holiday period intensifies.
