Glasner Seeks to Energize Jaded Crystal Palace as Payback Against The Gunners Beckons.

You could excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a restful period with his family in Austria before Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th game of the campaign—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace could prioritize other tournaments was swiftly dismissed by their boss.

"No, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner following his team's side's four-one defeat to Leeds. "Should anyone informs me that we lose deliberately, the following day I'm no longer the coach anymore."

There exists a marked contrast in Glasner's philosophy to domestic cup competitions versus his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his debut complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner picked his first-choice team for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final tie concluded in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a slightly debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at half-time. Now, Glasner now faces the task to devise a strategy for revenge versus the current Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was moved to this week owing to European obligations.

The Price of Achievement and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the challenges of continental football for the very first time. These demands are taking a toll on some exhausted squad members, many of whom have barely had a rest all season.

The coach deployed an entirely changed lineup, including four youngsters, in their last Conference League match. Yet, for the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "no option" but to choose the majority of his preferred side, which looked extremely lethargic as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Selection Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The manager must balance his ambition to win a another major trophy with considerable practicality. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that cup match but was forced to introduce his "key players" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "incensed" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match winning run against Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and a brace in a later league win before suffering a serious knee injury, looks set to begin for the first time since then injury. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We are accustomed to it," said Arteta on the congested 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 similar. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the last four of a competition so we will be ready."

With important players returning from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal present a daunting test for a Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the holiday schedule intensifies.