Oliver Glasner Hopes to Energize Fatigued Crystal Palace as Payback Against The Gunners Beckons.

One might forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a restful period with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the season—a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace might prioritize other tournaments was firmly dismissed by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," declared Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "If anyone informs me that we lose on purpose, the next day I'm not the manager any more."

There exists a stark difference in Glasner's approach to cup competitions compared to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup last eight in his debut full season in command. Under Hodgson, the club 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 picked his best team for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight tie concluded in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, due to a somewhat 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 devise a strategy for revenge versus the present Premier League pace-setters in a match that was moved to this week because of European commitments.

The Cost of Success and European Exhaustion

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

The manager deployed an completely changed lineup, including four youngsters, in their last Conference League fixture. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to pick the majority of his first-choice team, which appeared decidedly lethargic as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Perspective and Team Considerations

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

Arteta had made a number of changes for that cup match but was compelled to bring on his "key players" following the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a move 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 unbeaten streak versus Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and a brace in a subsequent league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, is expected to start for the first since then setback. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We are accustomed to it," said Arteta on the busy fixture list. "In my view this week was the sole complete week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is going to be similar. We have a wonderful chance to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be ready."

With key players returning from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal present a daunting challenge for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the festive schedule ramps up.