Arsenal get Carabao Cup tie boost as Crystal Palace suffer damaging triple blow

Arsenal host London rivals Crystal Palace in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday evening

Arsenal have received a potential boost ahead of their Carabao Cup quarter-final tie against Crystal Palace, with their opponents suffering from mounting injury problems.

The Gunners will host Oliver Glasner’s side at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night, with a place in the semi-finals of the competition up for grabs. Arsenal have reached the semi-finals of the tournament twice in the last five years, but have not made it to the final since 2018.

Palace, on the other hand, enjoyed success in the FA Cup last term when they lifted the trophy, but their record in the Carabao Cup is less promising. They were knocked out at this stage last season, by Arsenal nonetheless, and have not reached the semi-finals since 2012.

Both Arsenal and Palace were in Premier League action on Saturday night, with the Gunners clinching a narrow 1-0 win away at Everton courtesy of a Viktor Gyokeres penalty, while Palace fell to defeat away at Leeds United.

The quick turnaround ahead of Tuesday will be tight for both sides, but especially for Palace given their mounting injuries. The loss at Elland Road was the first of a triple blow for Glasner this weekend, particularly because of the knock-on effect it could have on squad availability.

Palace are already without Ismalia Sarr due to his involvement in the Africa Cup of Nations. He and Senegal will begin their campaign against Botswana on Tuesday.

Defender Daniel Munoz is also sidelined with a knee injury that requires surgery. He is not expected to be fit again until late January, so has no chance of being involved on Tuesday night.

Glasner informed reporters earlier this month: “It’s bad news. We will miss Dani for a few weeks and he will undergo surgery. The prognosis is four to six weeks, then he should be ready to play. But always, when you undergo surgery, you never know. We are always cautious. It doesn’t look so serious.”

Palace are also managing the fitness of striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, who has been nursing a knee issue in recent weeks. He did feature in the defeat against Leeds, but was substituted with a little over 10 minutes left to play.

The tight turnaround could give Glasner something to think about ahead of Tuesday, especially as the Frenchman has been playing through pain and his minutes are being managed. Whether he is able to start against Arsenal remains to be seen, but any potential absence would be a major blow for the Eagles.

To make matters worse, Palace are also without Daichi Kamada for the foreseeable future. He sustained a serious hamstring injury earlier this month and is expected to be sidelined for several weeks, leaving no possibility of him featuring against the Gunners.

Arsenal are, of course, managing injury concerns of their own. Cristhian Mosquera, Ben White and Gabriel currently make up their defensive fitness worries.