One might excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing 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 campaign—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. However, the idea that Palace could prioritize other competitions was swiftly rejected by their head coach.
"No, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner after his team's side's four-one defeat to Leeds. "Should somebody informs me that we lose deliberately, the next day I'm no longer the coach anymore."
There is a marked difference in Glasner's approach to cup competitions relative to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup last eight in his debut full season in command. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner picked his strongest lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.
That prior last-eight tie ended in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, due to a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at half-time. Now, Glasner now faces the task to devise a plan for payback against the current Premier League pace-setters in a match that was rescheduled to this week owing to European commitments.
Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the demands of European football for the first time. These pressures are catching up with some weary players, many of whom have hardly had a rest all season.
The coach deployed an entirely changed team, featuring four youngsters, in their final Conference League match. However, for the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to pick the bulk of his preferred side, which looked decidedly jaded as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he affirmed.
On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The boss must juggle 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 just days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly damaged their title aspirations.
Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that League Cup tie but was compelled to bring on 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 "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.
Arsenal have an eight-match unbeaten streak against Palace, including seven victories. 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 serious knee injury, is expected to start for the first since that injury. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.
"We are accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the congested schedule. "I think this week was the sole full week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is going to be similar. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be prepared."
Amid key players coming back from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal pose a daunting test for a Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the holiday schedule ramps up.
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