Glasner Seeks to Energize Fatigued Palace as Payback Versus The Gunners Looms.

You could forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a restful period with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the campaign—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. However, the suggestion that Palace might 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 four-one defeat to Leeds. "Should anyone tells me that we lose on purpose, the following day I'm not the coach any more."

There is a stark contrast in Glasner's strategy to domestic cup competitions relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup last eight in his debut full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner fielded his strongest lineup for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final match concluded in a three-two 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 must devise a strategy for revenge versus the present Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was moved to this week owing to European commitments.

A Price of Achievement and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own success. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the rigors of European football for the very first time. These demands are catching up with several exhausted squad members, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a rest all season.

The manager fielded an completely changed side, including four teenagers, in their final Conference League match. Yet, for the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "no option" but to select the majority of his preferred side, which looked decidedly jaded as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he stated.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Team Considerations

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

Arteta had made several changes for that League Cup match but was compelled to introduce his "big-hitters" 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 potential offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game winning run against Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and two in a later league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, is expected to begin for the first time since that injury. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the congested fixture list. "I think this week was the sole complete week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is going to be similar. We have a beautiful chance to go into the last four of a competition so we will be ready."

Amid important players coming back from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal present a formidable challenge for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the holiday schedule intensifies.