Arsenal set to discover brutal new injury reality this week as Mikel Arteta PSG worry confirmed

It is hard to remember too many games inside the final month of a season which matter so little for either team in the grand scheme of things. 'On the beach' football is back and it's come a bit earlier than usual.

That exact description does not quite work for Arsenal and Crystal Palace as both have big goals they still wish to achieve. However, for this one match on Wednesday, it is not the focus.

Instead, across 90 minutes at the Emirates Stadium, both Oliver Glasner and Mikel Arteta will be praying for no injuries and just looking to get through it in one piece. Arsenal showed last weekend when they welcomed Brentford to north London just how sleepy things can be when there is nothing at stake.

Since early February - right around the time Kai Havertz was ruled out for the season - they have had eyes on the Champions League. Even as Liverpool leave the door slightly ajar at points, Arsenal have been unable to mount a comeback and have instead just ploughed on in Europe.

For the most part it has been worthwhile. Nobody has really challenged them properly for second spot and performances in the Champions League have been brilliant.

Whether it is destroying PSV Eindhoven or going up a notch for the visit of Real Madrid, Arsenal have continued to grow. They have done it without key players at different points. Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli have been out. Riccardo Calafiori is available one minute and then not for the next. Ben White is in a constant state of flux between getting back to sharpness and then being sidelined again.

Then there are Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Magalhaes, both out for the season. Arteta's already small squad has been condensed even more throughout and competing on multiple fronts has been impossible. Arsenal have still made do and will end this season as runners up for a third year in a row. The disappointment of not pushing Liverpool further has already been offset by the Champions League success.

So yes, a late kick-off one week out from having Paris Saint-Germain come to town in the first leg of a semi-final is not a game to get the pulses going. Arsenal have very little to gain and plenty to lose. Even those attending would almost certainly rather be defeated with a weakened team than see another star hobble off injured.

Lots of these decisions are judged with hindsight but Arsenal and Arteta would be completely justified in sending out a second string, Carabao Cup third-round XI sort of lineup in order to rest and rotate properly. When asked how he would balance matters, the head coach explained: "We have to somehow put 11 players out there and have four or five changes, so let's see how they recover in the next few days.

"The good thing is they are willing to play because they like the rhythm as well. We are so used to that rhythm every three days that the boys are demanding and then we don't have a game at the weekend, so we have a gap there, so let's see how we get on on Wednesday."

This is only one half of a game which also involves Palace. They have already been battered 5-1 by Arsenal this season and fell out of the League Cup after going ahead, too. The trip from south to north London isn't too taxing for supporters but it would be understandable if they didn't massively fancy this.

On Saturday they will instead be going to Wembley to face Aston Villa. Palace got to this stage three years ago when they were beaten by Chelsea 2-0. The noise and atmosphere that day said it all for a club seeking a shot at winning a major trophy.

The outing to Wembley was considerably bigger for Palace than it was for Chelsea. Having seen Newcastle United end their enormous hoodoo, both Villa and Palace will be keen to book themselves into the final and a match for glory.

It is notable that since winning the FA Cup semi-final, Palace have drawn two and lost two of their five matches. The only win came in a grudge match against Brighton, which carries with it the demands of an entire club. No FA Cup excuse can be used here.

During this run, though, Palace have drawn to Southampton and conceded 10 in two away games at Newcastle and Manchester City in the space of four days. They have had three players sent off in the same period.

Things have slowed down for Palace and the buildup is all for Wembley. Just as Arsenal are looking beyond to playing PSG, neither club have much to fight for here. It is a match of inconvenience.

Even a win for Palace, which would be savoured against a London rival, is not as important as beating Villa. They can only move up to 11th, anyway, although Bournemouth in eighth are not too far off. On current form it is a leap for them to get into the top half, though, and the FA Cup is still the priority.

Arsenal know that with Thomas Partey missing due to suspension and there being no room to manoeuvre in the squad, any new setbacks or injuries could be absolutely detrimental. It is probably best not to expect the strongest XIs to be named, therefore.

Palace went as good as they could against Bournemouth on Saturday but may well not be in the mood to risk Jean-Phillipe Mateta, Ismaila Sarr, Daniel Munoz, Tyrique Mitchell, Eberechi Eze, Marc Guehi, or Adam Wharton on Wednesday.

The same goes for Arsenal. Arteta took off most of his key players before the 75th-minute mark at Portman Road but has admitted that changes are afoot. If he had a larger squad then even more rotation would be in order.

It all leaves this game in a weird state. The Premier League, as brutal as it will be for both sides as they want to play for even more, has nothing to offer Arsenal and Palace. Under that backdrop it would be no surprise to see a game without the big names involved or the normal intensity.

Neither manager can admit as much but this game is a burden and an obstacle in a week that holds much more for them.

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