Glasner Hopes to Rally Jaded Crystal Palace as Payback Versus Arsenal Awaits.

One might excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a quiet few days with his family in Austria before Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the campaign—a League Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. However, the suggestion that Palace could prioritize other competitions was firmly rejected by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," declared Glasner following his team's side's four-one defeat to Leeds. "If anyone informs me that we are defeated deliberately, the following day I'm no longer the manager anymore."

There exists a clear contrast in Glasner's approach to cup competitions versus his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's run to the League 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 by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner fielded his best lineup for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a encounter with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final match ended in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a slightly debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at the interval. Now, Glasner now faces the task to devise a plan for revenge versus the current Premier League leaders in a fixture that was moved to this week owing to European obligations.

A Price of Success and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has ushered in the rigors of European football for the first time. These pressures are catching up with some weary players, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a rest all season.

The coach selected an entirely changed lineup, including four youngsters, in their final Conference League fixture. However, for the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to choose the majority of his preferred team, which looked decidedly jaded as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he said.

The Gunners' Perspective and Team Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The manager must balance his ambition to win a second major trophy with considerable pragmatism. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had made several changes for that League Cup match but was compelled to introduce his "key players" following the break. Saka came off 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 available—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game winning streak versus Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and a brace in a subsequent league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, looks set to begin for the first since that injury. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are used to it," commented Arteta on the busy fixture list. "I think this week was the sole 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 tournament so we will be ready."

With important players coming back from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal pose a formidable challenge for a Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the holiday period intensifies.