Oliver Glasner Seeks to Energize Weary Palace as Revenge Against Arsenal Looms.

You could forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a quiet few days with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th game of the season—a Carabao Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. However, the notion that Palace could prioritize other competitions was swiftly dismissed by their head coach.

"No, I don't think so," declared Glasner after his team's side's four-one loss to Leeds. "Should somebody tells me that we lose on purpose, the following day I'm no longer the manager anymore."

There exists a clear difference in Glasner's philosophy to domestic cup competitions versus his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his first full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the club 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 team for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a encounter with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight tie concluded in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at half-time. Now, Glasner now faces the task to devise a plan for payback versus the present Premier League pace-setters in a match that was moved to this week owing to European commitments.

A Price of Achievement and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final has ushered in the rigors of continental football for the very first time. These pressures are taking a toll on some exhausted squad members, many of whom have barely enjoyed a rest all season.

The coach selected an entirely different team, featuring four teenagers, in their final Conference League fixture. However, for the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to select the majority of his first-choice side, which looked decidedly jaded as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he said.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Team Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The manager must balance his desire to win a second major trophy with extreme practicality. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that cup match but was forced to introduce his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist 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 have an eight-match winning run against Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and a brace in a subsequent league win before suffering a serious knee injury, is expected to begin for the first time since then injury. Arteta disclosed 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. "In my view this week was the only complete week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is will be similar. We have a wonderful chance to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be prepared."

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