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One might excuse 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 match of the campaign—a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace might focus on other tournaments was swiftly rejected by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "If anyone informs me that we lose on purpose, the next day I'm not the manager anymore."

There is a marked contrast in Glasner's approach to cup tournaments versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's journey to the League Cup quarter-finals in his debut complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the team had already been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner fielded his first-choice lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final match ended in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a slightly debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must figure out a strategy for revenge versus the present Premier League leaders in a match that was moved to this week owing to European obligations.

A Price of Success and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own success. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the demands of continental football for the first time. These demands are catching up with some weary squad members, many of whom have barely enjoyed a break all season.

The coach deployed an entirely different lineup, featuring four youngsters, in their last Conference League fixture. However, ahead of the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to choose the bulk of his first-choice team, which appeared decidedly lethargic as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he stated.

The Gunners' Perspective and Team Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The manager must balance his desire to win a second major trophy with extreme practicality. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained 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 cup match but was forced to bring on his "key players" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a decisive goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match unbeaten run against Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and two in a subsequent league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, looks set to begin for the first since then injury. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the congested fixture list. "In my view this week was the sole complete 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 tournament so we will be prepared."

Amid important players returning from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal pose a formidable challenge for a Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the holiday period intensifies.