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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a quiet few days with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth match of the season—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace might prioritize other competitions was quickly rejected by their manager.

"No, I don't think so," stated Glasner following his team's side's four-one defeat to Leeds. "Should somebody informs me that we lose on purpose, the next day I'm not the manager anymore."

There is a clear contrast in Glasner's philosophy to cup competitions compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's journey to the League Cup last eight in his debut full season in command. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner picked his best team for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight match concluded in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must devise a strategy for payback versus the present Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was moved to this week because of European obligations.

The Cost of Success and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own success. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final has ushered in the demands of European football for the very first time. These pressures are taking a toll on some fatigued squad members, many of whom have barely had a break all term.

The coach deployed an entirely changed lineup, including four teenagers, in their last Conference League fixture. However, for the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to choose the majority of his preferred side, which appeared extremely jaded as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he said.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Team Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The boss must juggle his desire to win a another major trophy with extreme pragmatism. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that cup match but was compelled to introduce his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a decisive goal in a move that left Glasner "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match unbeaten streak versus Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and a brace in a later league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, looks set to start for the first time since then setback. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the busy schedule. "I think this week was the only full week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is will be similar. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be ready."

With important players returning from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal present a daunting test for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the holiday schedule intensifies.