Glasner Hopes to Rally Weary Palace as Revenge Against Arsenal Awaits.

One might excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a quiet few days with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth game of the season—a Carabao Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. Yet, the notion that Palace might focus on other competitions was firmly dismissed by their manager.

"No, I do not believe that," stated Glasner after his team's side's four-one defeat to Leeds. "Should anyone tells me that we lose on purpose, the following day I'm not the coach anymore."

There is a stark difference in Glasner's strategy to domestic cup tournaments versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his debut complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the team had already been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner selected his strongest side for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight match concluded in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a slightly debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a strategy for revenge against the present Premier League leaders in a match that was moved to this week owing to European obligations.

A Cost of Achievement and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own success. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has ushered in the challenges of European football for the very first time. These pressures are taking a toll on several fatigued players, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a break all term.

The coach deployed an entirely changed team, featuring four teenagers, in their final Conference League fixture. However, for the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to pick the bulk of his first-choice side, which appeared decidedly jaded as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he stated.

The Gunners' Perspective and Selection Dilemmas

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

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that cup match but was compelled to introduce his "key players" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a decisive goal in a move that left Glasner "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game winning run versus Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and two 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 "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're accustomed 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 will be like this. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be ready."

With key players returning from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal present a daunting test for a Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the festive period intensifies.