Glasner Aims to Rally Fatigued Palace as Payback Versus The Gunners Looms.

One might forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a restful few days with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth match of the campaign—a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace could focus on other tournaments was swiftly rejected by their manager.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," declared Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 hammering to Leeds. "Should somebody informs me that we lose deliberately, the next day I'm not the manager any more."

There is a stark contrast in Glasner's philosophy to cup tournaments compared to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his debut full season in command. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner fielded his strongest side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a encounter with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final tie concluded in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, following a slightly controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a plan for payback versus the present Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week because of European obligations.

A Cost of Success and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own success. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final has brought the rigors of continental football for the very first time. These demands are taking a toll on some fatigued squad members, many of whom have hardly had a rest all season.

The manager deployed an completely different side, featuring four teenagers, in their last Conference League fixture. However, ahead of the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "no option" but to pick the bulk of his preferred side, which looked decidedly jaded as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Perspective and Selection Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The boss must juggle his desire to win a second major trophy with considerable practicality. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that cup tie but was compelled to bring on his "key players" following the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game winning streak versus Palace, including seven victories. 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 long-term knee injury, looks set to begin for the first since then injury. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the congested schedule. "In my view this week was the only full week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is will be like this. We have a wonderful chance to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be prepared."

With key players coming back from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal pose a formidable challenge for a Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the holiday schedule ramps up.