Oliver Glasner Aims to Energize Weary Palace as Payback Against Arsenal Looms.

You could excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a restful period with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the season—a League Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace might prioritize other competitions was firmly rejected by their head coach.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," declared Glasner following his team's side's four-one loss to Leeds. "If somebody tells me that we are defeated on purpose, the following day I'm not the coach anymore."

There exists a stark contrast in Glasner's strategy to domestic cup competitions versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's run to the League Cup last eight in his debut full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner picked his strongest side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight tie concluded in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, due to a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at the interval. Now, Glasner must figure out a strategy for revenge versus the present Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was moved to this week because of European obligations.

A Cost of Success and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own success. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the challenges of continental football for the first time. These pressures are taking a toll on several fatigued squad members, many of whom have hardly had a break all season.

The coach fielded an completely different lineup, featuring four teenagers, in their final Conference League fixture. Yet, for the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "no option" but to select the majority of his first-choice side, which looked decidedly jaded as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he stated.

The Gunners' Perspective and Team Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The boss must balance 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 versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that League Cup tie but was compelled to introduce his "key players" after the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "incensed" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match unbeaten run against Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and two in a subsequent league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, looks set to start for the first since that injury. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're used to it," said Arteta on the busy schedule. "In my view this week was the only 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 semi-final of a competition so we will be prepared."

With important players returning from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal pose a formidable test for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the festive period ramps up.