Oliver Glasner Aims to Motivate Weary Palace as Revenge Versus Arsenal Awaits.

You could forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a restful few days with his family in Austria before Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth match of the campaign—a Carabao Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. Yet, the notion that Palace could prioritize other tournaments was firmly rejected by their manager.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," declared Glasner after his team's side's four-one hammering to Leeds. "If anyone informs me that we are defeated deliberately, the next day I'm no longer the manager anymore."

There is a stark difference in Glasner's strategy to cup competitions versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals 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 by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner selected his first-choice side for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final match ended in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a somewhat controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at the interval. Now, Glasner must devise a plan for payback against the current Premier League pace-setters in a match that was rescheduled to this week owing to European obligations.

A Price of Success and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own success. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final has brought the rigors of European football for the very first time. These demands are taking a toll on some weary players, many of whom have hardly had a break all season.

The coach selected an entirely changed lineup, including four youngsters, in their last Conference League match. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to pick the majority of his first-choice side, which appeared decidedly lethargic as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

Arsenal's Perspective and Team Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The manager must juggle his ambition to win a another major trophy with considerable pragmatism. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that League Cup tie but was compelled to introduce his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a decisive goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "incensed" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game unbeaten streak against Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and a brace in a later league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, looks set to start for the first time since then injury. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are used to it," said Arteta on the congested schedule. "I think this week was the sole full week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is will be like this. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be prepared."

With key players coming back from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal present a daunting challenge for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the holiday period intensifies.