Oliver Glasner Hopes to Energize Weary Crystal Palace as Revenge Versus The Gunners Looms.

You could forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a restful few days with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the campaign—a League Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. However, the suggestion that Palace might focus on other competitions was swiftly rejected by their head coach.

"No, I don't think so," declared Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 hammering to Leeds. "Should anyone tells me that we are defeated on purpose, the next day I'm no longer the manager anymore."

There exists a stark difference in Glasner's philosophy to domestic cup tournaments versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup last eight in his first full season in command. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner picked his best side for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight tie ended in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a somewhat controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must figure out a plan for revenge versus the current Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was moved to this week owing to European obligations.

A Price of Success and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the challenges of European football for the very first time. These demands are catching up with several fatigued players, many of whom have barely enjoyed a break all season.

The coach deployed an completely different side, featuring four teenagers, in their final Conference League fixture. However, ahead of the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to pick the majority of his first-choice side, which appeared extremely lethargic as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he stated.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Team Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The boss must balance his ambition to win a another major trophy with extreme practicality. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had made several changes for that cup tie but was forced to bring on his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game winning streak against Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and two in a subsequent league win before suffering a long-term 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," commented Arteta on the busy fixture list. "I think this week was the sole complete week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is will be like this. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be prepared."

Amid important players coming back from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal pose a daunting challenge for a Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the holiday schedule ramps up.