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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a quiet few days with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth match of the season—a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. However, the notion that Palace could prioritize other competitions was quickly rejected by their manager.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 hammering to Leeds. "Should somebody informs me that we lose on purpose, the following day I'm not the manager any more."

There is a stark contrast in Glasner's strategy to domestic cup competitions relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's run to the League Cup last eight in his debut complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner picked his best lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final match concluded in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a slightly controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to devise a strategy for revenge against the present Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week owing to European obligations.

A Cost of Success and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own success. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final has ushered in the challenges of continental football for the very first time. These pressures are taking a toll on several weary squad members, many of whom have hardly had a break all term.

The manager selected an completely different team, including four youngsters, in their final Conference League fixture. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "no option" but to choose the majority of his preferred side, which looked decidedly jaded as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Perspective and Team Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The boss must balance his ambition to win a second major trophy with considerable practicality. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that League Cup match but was compelled to bring on his "key players" following the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a decisive goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match winning streak against Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and two in a later league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, is expected to begin for the first time since that injury. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We are accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the congested fixture list. "In my view this week was the only full week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is will be like this. We have a wonderful chance to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be ready."

Amid important players returning from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal present a daunting test for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the festive schedule intensifies.