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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a restful few days with his family in Austria before Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth fixture of the season—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace could prioritize other competitions was swiftly dismissed by their head coach.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," declared Glasner following his team's side's four-one defeat to Leeds. "If anyone informs me that we are defeated on purpose, the following day I'm not the manager any more."

There is a stark contrast in Glasner's approach to cup competitions compared to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's journey to the League Cup last eight in his first complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner fielded his strongest side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a encounter with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight tie concluded in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a somewhat debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must figure out a strategy for revenge against the present Premier League leaders in a match that was rescheduled to this week owing to European obligations.

A Cost of Success and European Exhaustion

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 European football for the first time. These pressures are taking a toll on several fatigued players, many of whom have barely had a rest all season.

The manager selected an entirely different team, featuring four youngsters, in their last Conference League match. However, ahead of the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "no option" but to choose the bulk of his first-choice side, which appeared extremely lethargic as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Team Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The boss must balance his desire to win a second major trophy with considerable practicality. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that League Cup match but was forced to bring on his "key players" following the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game unbeaten streak against Palace, featuring 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 long-term knee injury, is expected to begin for the first time since that setback. 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 busy 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 similar. We have a wonderful chance to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be ready."

Amid important players coming back from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal pose a daunting test for a Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the festive period ramps up.