Glasner Seeks to Motivate Fatigued Crystal Palace as Payback Against Arsenal Beckons.

One might excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a restful few days with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth match of the season—a League Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. However, the idea that Palace might prioritize other competitions was swiftly dismissed by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 loss to Leeds. "Should somebody tells me that we lose deliberately, the following day I'm no longer the manager anymore."

There is a marked difference in Glasner's approach to domestic cup competitions versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his first full season in command. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner selected his strongest lineup for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final tie concluded in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a somewhat controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at the interval. Now, Glasner must devise a strategy for revenge versus the current Premier League leaders in a fixture that was moved to this week because of European obligations.

A Price of Success and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own success. Leading Palace to their first 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 taking a toll on several weary players, many of whom have barely had a rest all term.

The manager fielded an entirely changed side, featuring four youngsters, in their final Conference League fixture. However, for the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "no option" but to choose the majority of his preferred side, which looked extremely lethargic as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he said.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Selection Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The boss must balance his desire to win a second major trophy with extreme practicality. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that League Cup tie but was compelled to introduce his "key players" after the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a decisive goal in a move that left Glasner "incensed" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match unbeaten run versus Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and two in a subsequent league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, is expected to begin for the first time since then setback. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're used to it," said Arteta on the congested fixture list. "I think 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 competition so we will be ready."

With important players returning from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal pose a daunting challenge for a Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the holiday schedule ramps up.