You could excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a restful few days with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the campaign—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. However, the idea that Palace could focus on other tournaments was firmly dismissed by their head coach.
"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," stated Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "Should somebody informs me that we are defeated deliberately, the following day I'm not the manager any more."
There exists a marked difference in Glasner's strategy to domestic cup competitions versus his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's run to the League Cup last eight in his first full season 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 fielded his strongest team for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.
That prior last-eight match ended in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, due to a slightly controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a strategy for payback versus the present Premier League leaders in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week owing to European commitments.
Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own success. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the challenges of European football for the very first time. These pressures are catching up with some exhausted squad members, many of whom have barely had a break all term.
The manager fielded an completely changed lineup, featuring four teenagers, in their last Conference League match. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "no option" but to choose the majority of his first-choice side, which appeared decidedly lethargic as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he affirmed.
For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The manager must juggle his desire to win a another major trophy with considerable pragmatism. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly damaged their title hopes.
Arteta had implemented several changes for that League Cup tie but was compelled to introduce his "key players" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.
Arsenal are on an eight-game unbeaten streak versus Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and a brace in a later league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, is expected to begin for the first since that setback. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means 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 rest 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 ready."
Amid important players returning from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal pose a daunting test for a Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the festive period intensifies.
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