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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a restful period with his family in Austria before Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth fixture of the season—a Carabao Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. Yet, the notion that Palace might focus on other competitions was swiftly dismissed by their boss.

"No, I don't think so," remarked Glasner after his team's side's four-one hammering to Leeds. "If somebody informs me that we are defeated deliberately, the next day I'm not the manager anymore."

There is a marked contrast in Glasner's strategy to cup tournaments relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his first complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner picked his best side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a showdown with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight match ended in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a somewhat controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must devise a strategy for revenge versus the current Premier League leaders in a fixture that was moved to this week owing to European commitments.

The Cost of Success and European Fatigue

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

The manager fielded an entirely different team, including four youngsters, in their final Conference League match. However, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to select the bulk of his preferred team, which appeared extremely jaded as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he stated.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Selection Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The boss must juggle his ambition to win a second major trophy with extreme pragmatism. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly damaged their title aspirations.

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

Arsenal are on an eight-game unbeaten streak versus Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and two in a later league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, looks set to begin for the first since that injury. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We are used to it," commented Arteta on the busy schedule. "In my view this week was the only full week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is will be similar. We have a wonderful chance to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be ready."

With important players coming back from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal pose a formidable test for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the festive schedule intensifies.