A tale of two preparations
When Arsenal welcome Crystal Palace to Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night, the contrasting states of both squads will be as important as any tactical setup. This delayed Carabao Cup quarter-final comes at a pivotal moment: the Gunners sit top of the Premier League at Christmas, while the Eagles arrive in north London battered by a brutal fixture schedule.
Oliver Glasner's men are playing their fourth match in just nine days. That sequence has already taken its toll—a Conference League draw against Finnish side KuPS was followed by a humbling 4-1 defeat at Leeds in the Premier League. The Austrian made 11 changes for both fixtures and still couldn't salvage results. Now, with as many as seven first-team players unavailable, Palace face perhaps the worst possible opponent at the worst possible time.
Arsenal's rotation luxury
Mikel Arteta finds himself in an enviable position. Despite missing Gabriel through an adductor injury, along with Cristhian Mosquera and Ben White limiting defensive options, the Gunners can still field a competitive side while resting key personnel. The expected lineup tells its own story:
Kepa Arrizabalaga will start in goal, giving David Raya a breather. Jurriën Timber and William Saliba should anchor the defence, with Riccardo Calafiori and Myles Lewis-Skelly providing width. In midfield, Christian Nørgaard and Mikel Merino offer fresh legs, while the front line of Noni Madueke, Gabriel Jesus, and Gabriel Martinelli represents genuine attacking quality rather than mere rotation fodder.
This is the advantage of building a squad rather than just a team. Even Arteta's second-choice XI would compete in most Premier League matches.
The Eze factor
One subplot demands attention: Eberechi Eze returns to face his former club. The England international scored the decisive goal when these sides met in the Premier League back in late October, a 1-0 Arsenal win where he haunted Palace as a substitute. Having been an unused substitute in two of the past three matches, Eze will be fresh and hungry to prove a point.
Eze's positioning could prove fascinating. If Arteta deploys him in a free role between the lines, he'll have license to drift and create against a Palace midfield that looked exhausted at Elland Road. His technical ability in tight spaces and eye for the final ball make him the obvious creative catalyst for Arsenal's rotated XI.
Tactical matchups to watch
Palace's 3-4-2-1 system under Glasner requires wing-backs with endless stamina—a commodity they simply don't possess right now. Arsenal will likely target the spaces behind those advanced positions, using quick switches of play to isolate tired legs in wide areas.
The key battle could emerge in central midfield. Nørgaard and Merino versus whatever Palace can muster shapes as a physical encounter. The Danish international's Premier League experience with Brentford makes him well-suited to cup football's intensity, while Merino's Champions League pedigree with Real Sociedad adds quality in possession.
Up front, Gabriel Jesus continues searching for consistent form, but domestic cup competitions have historically suited his game. His pressing intensity and clever movement could torment a Palace backline playing for the third time in seven days.
The Chelsea carrot
Both clubs know exactly what awaits the winner: a two-legged semi-final against Chelsea. That London derby represents a significant prize for Arteta, who desperately wants to deliver the Emirates' first major trophy since the 2020 FA Cup.
For Palace, last season's FA Cup winners, this represents a chance to prove their cup pedigree wasn't a one-off. But the circumstances could hardly be less favourable. Glasner's frank admission about fixture congestion suggests even he recognizes the mountain his side must climb.
Prediction: Arsenal's quality and freshness prove decisive
Arsenal's superior squad depth should carry them into the Carabao Cup semi-finals. The Gunners have become masters of edging low-scoring affairs—three consecutive victories and two clean sheets demonstrate their defensive resilience even without Gabriel.
Palace's 4-1 capitulation at Leeds exposed their vulnerabilities under fatigue. With just two days between the KuPS draw and that Yorkshire humiliation, then only three more until this Emirates visit, Glasner's options are severely limited. This represents a challenge too great for a depleted squad.
Expect Arsenal to control proceedings, limit Palace to counter-attacking scraps, and secure a professional victory that sets up an intriguing Chelsea semi-final.
The scoreline might not be emphatic, but the outcome feels inevitable. Arteta's men will be celebrating Christmas as Carabao Cup semi-finalists.
