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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a restful period with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth game of the campaign—a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. However, the notion that Palace might prioritize other competitions was quickly dismissed by their manager.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," stated Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "If anyone tells me that we lose deliberately, the next day I'm not the manager any more."

There is a marked contrast in Glasner's philosophy to cup competitions compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's run to the League Cup last eight in his first complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the club had already been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner selected his first-choice side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a showdown with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight match concluded in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, following a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must devise a strategy for revenge versus the present Premier League pace-setters in a match that was rescheduled to this week owing to European obligations.

A Cost of Success and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own success. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the demands of continental football for the first time. These pressures are catching up with some fatigued squad members, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a break all term.

The manager selected an entirely changed lineup, including four teenagers, in their final Conference League match. However, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "no option" but to select the majority of his first-choice team, which looked decidedly lethargic as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Perspective and Team Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The manager must juggle his ambition to win a second major trophy with considerable pragmatism. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had made several changes for that League Cup match but was forced to introduce his "key players" after the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "incensed" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game winning run versus Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and two in a later league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, is expected to start for the first time since then injury. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are used to it," commented Arteta on the congested fixture list. "I think this week was the only complete week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is going to be like this. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be prepared."

With important players returning from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal pose a daunting challenge for a Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the holiday period intensifies.