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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a quiet period with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth fixture of the season—a Carabao Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace could prioritize other competitions was quickly dismissed by their head coach.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," stated Glasner following his team's side's four-one defeat to Leeds. "If anyone tells me that we lose on purpose, the next day I'm no longer the manager any more."

There exists a marked contrast in Glasner's philosophy to cup tournaments relative to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup last eight in his first full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner fielded his best team for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a encounter with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final match ended in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a strategy for revenge versus the present Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was moved to this week owing to European commitments.

The Price of Success and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final has ushered in the rigors of continental football for the 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 deployed an entirely different side, featuring four youngsters, in their final Conference League match. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to choose the bulk of his preferred team, which appeared decidedly lethargic as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Team Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The boss must juggle his desire to win a second major trophy with extreme pragmatism. 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 aspirations.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that 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 repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game winning streak versus Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and two in a subsequent league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, looks set to start for the first time since then setback. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're used to it," commented Arteta on the congested fixture list. "In my view this week was the sole full week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is going to be similar. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be prepared."

With important players returning from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal present a daunting test for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the holiday period ramps up.