Oliver Glasner Hopes to Motivate Weary Palace as Payback Against The Gunners Awaits.

One might excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a quiet few days with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the campaign—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace could prioritize other tournaments was swiftly rejected by their manager.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner after his team's side's four-one hammering to Leeds. "Should somebody tells me that we lose deliberately, the next day I'm no longer the manager anymore."

There is a marked contrast in Glasner's approach to domestic cup competitions compared to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's run to the League Cup quarter-finals in his debut full season in command. Under Hodgson, the team had already been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner fielded his best side for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a encounter with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final match ended in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at the interval. Now, Glasner must figure out a plan for revenge versus the current Premier League leaders in a fixture that was moved to this week owing to European commitments.

A Cost of Success and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has ushered in the rigors of continental football for the first time. These demands are taking a toll on some exhausted players, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a break all season.

The coach deployed an completely different side, featuring four youngsters, in their last Conference League fixture. Yet, for the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to pick the bulk of his first-choice side, which appeared extremely jaded as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he affirmed.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Team Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The boss must juggle his desire to win a second major trophy with considerable practicality. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that League Cup match but was forced to introduce his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game unbeaten run versus Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and a brace in a subsequent league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, is expected to start for the first since then injury. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're accustomed to it," said Arteta on the congested fixture list. "I think this week was the only full week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is going to be like this. We have a beautiful chance to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be ready."

Amid important players coming back from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal pose a daunting test for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the holiday period intensifies.