One might excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a quiet few days with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the season—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace could focus on other tournaments was quickly dismissed by their boss.
"No, I do not believe that," declared Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 hammering to Leeds. "If somebody tells me that we lose deliberately, the following day I'm not the manager anymore."
There is a clear contrast in Glasner's approach to domestic cup tournaments compared to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his first full season in command. Under Hodgson, the club had already been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner picked his best team for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a showdown with Arsenal.
That prior last-eight tie concluded in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a plan for revenge versus the present Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week because of European obligations.
The Price of Success and European Exhaustion
Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the challenges of European football for the very first time. These demands are catching up with several exhausted squad members, many of whom have barely enjoyed a rest all season.
The coach selected an entirely different lineup, featuring four youngsters, in their last Conference League match. However, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to pick the bulk of his first-choice team, which appeared extremely lethargic as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he stated.
The Gunners' Viewpoint and Selection Dilemmas
For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The manager must juggle his ambition to win a second major trophy with extreme practicality. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly damaged their title aspirations.
Arteta had made a number of changes for that cup match but was forced to introduce his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.
Arsenal are on an eight-match unbeaten streak against Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and two in a subsequent league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, is expected to begin for the first time since that injury. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.
"We are used to it," said Arteta on the busy fixture list. "In my view this week was the sole full week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is will be similar. We have a wonderful chance to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be ready."
Amid important players returning from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal present a daunting challenge for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the holiday schedule intensifies.
