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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a restful few days with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth fixture of the season—a Carabao Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace could prioritize other competitions was swiftly rejected by their manager.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," declared Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "If somebody tells me that we lose deliberately, the next day I'm no longer the coach any more."

There exists a marked difference in Glasner's strategy to domestic cup competitions versus his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's run to the League Cup last eight in his first full season in command. Under Hodgson, the team had already been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner picked his first-choice lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final tie ended in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, due to a somewhat controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a plan for payback against the current Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was moved to this week owing to European obligations.

A Cost of Success and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the rigors of continental football for the very first time. These pressures are taking a toll on some fatigued squad members, many of whom have barely enjoyed a rest all season.

The coach fielded an entirely changed team, including four youngsters, in their final Conference League match. Yet, for the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "no option" but to select the bulk of his preferred team, which looked extremely lethargic as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he said.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Selection Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The boss must juggle his ambition to win a second major trophy with extreme practicality. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that League Cup match but was forced to bring on his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match winning streak against Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and a brace in a later league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, looks set to begin for the first time since then setback. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're accustomed to it," said Arteta on the congested fixture list. "I think this week was the sole complete week we had to get ready. The rest 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 ready."

With key players coming back from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal present a daunting challenge for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the holiday period intensifies.