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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a quiet period with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth fixture of the campaign—a Carabao Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. However, the notion that Palace might prioritize other tournaments was firmly dismissed by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "If somebody informs me that we lose on purpose, the following day I'm no longer the manager any more."

There is a clear contrast in Glasner's philosophy to cup competitions versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his debut complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had previously 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 team for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final tie concluded in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a slightly controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a plan for revenge against the current Premier League leaders in a match that was rescheduled to this week because of European obligations.

The Price of Achievement and European Fatigue

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 has brought the demands of continental football for the first time. These pressures are taking a toll on several fatigued players, many of whom have barely had a break all season.

The coach deployed an entirely changed team, featuring four youngsters, in their last Conference League fixture. Yet, for the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to select the majority of his preferred side, which looked extremely lethargic as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he stated.

Arsenal's Perspective and Team Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The boss must balance his ambition to win a another major trophy with considerable pragmatism. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly damaged their title aspirations.

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 assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match winning streak versus Palace, including seven wins. 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 start for the first since that setback. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the congested fixture list. "I think this week was the sole full week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is going to be similar. We have a wonderful chance to go into the last four of a competition so we will be prepared."

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