Glasner Hopes to Rally Fatigued Crystal Palace as Revenge Against The Gunners Beckons.

You could excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a quiet period with his family in Austria before Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th game of the season—a League Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. However, the idea that Palace could focus on other competitions was swiftly dismissed by their head coach.

"No, I do not believe that," declared Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "If somebody informs me that we lose deliberately, the following day I'm not the coach any more."

There exists a stark contrast in Glasner's philosophy to cup competitions compared to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup last eight in his debut complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner selected his first-choice team for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final tie concluded in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a slightly 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 owing to European obligations.

A Cost of Success and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has brought the challenges of European football for the first time. These pressures are catching up with some fatigued squad members, many of whom have barely enjoyed a rest all season.

The coach selected an completely different lineup, including four youngsters, in their last Conference League fixture. However, ahead of the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to select the majority of his preferred team, which looked decidedly jaded as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Team Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The manager must juggle his desire to win a another major trophy with considerable practicality. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that cup tie but was compelled to bring on his "key players" after the break. Saka was introduced from 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 have an eight-match winning streak versus Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and a brace in a later league win before suffering a serious knee injury, looks set to start for the first since that setback. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're used to it," commented Arteta on the congested fixture list. "In my view this week was the only full week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is will be similar. We have a beautiful chance to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be prepared."

With important players coming back from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal present a formidable test for a Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the holiday period ramps up.