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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a restful period with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth fixture of the campaign—a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. Yet, the notion that Palace could focus on other tournaments was quickly dismissed by their boss.

"No, I do not believe that," stated Glasner after his team's side's four-one hammering to Leeds. "If anyone tells me that we are defeated deliberately, the following day I'm not the coach any more."

There exists a stark contrast in Glasner's strategy to domestic cup tournaments compared to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's run to the League Cup last eight in his first full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had already been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner fielded his strongest team for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a encounter with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final tie ended in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, due 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 figure out a strategy for revenge against the current Premier League leaders in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week because of European obligations.

A Cost of Achievement and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final has brought the challenges of European football for the first time. These demands are catching up with several exhausted squad members, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a rest all season.

The manager deployed an entirely different lineup, including four youngsters, in their last Conference League match. However, for the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "no option" but to pick the bulk of his first-choice team, which appeared decidedly jaded as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he stated.

Arsenal's 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 muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had made several changes for that League Cup tie but was compelled to bring on his "key players" 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 possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game unbeaten streak against 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 suffering a serious knee injury, looks set to begin for the first since that injury. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're used to it," said Arteta on the congested schedule. "I think this week was the only full week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is going to be like this. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be prepared."

Amid important players coming back from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal pose a formidable test for a Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the holiday schedule ramps up.