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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a quiet few days with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth fixture of the campaign—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. However, the notion that Palace could focus on other competitions was swiftly dismissed by their manager.

"No, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner following his team's side's four-one hammering to Leeds. "Should anyone tells me that we are defeated on purpose, the following day I'm no longer the manager any more."

There exists a clear difference in Glasner's strategy to cup competitions compared to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's run to the League Cup quarter-finals in his first complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the club had already been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner selected his best lineup for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight tie ended in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must figure out a strategy for payback versus the current Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was moved to this week because of European obligations.

The 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 has ushered in the rigors of European football for the very first time. These demands are taking a toll on several exhausted squad members, many of whom have hardly had a rest all term.

The coach deployed an completely changed side, featuring four teenagers, in their last Conference League fixture. Yet, for the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to choose the majority of his preferred team, which looked decidedly jaded as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Perspective and Team Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The manager must juggle his ambition to win a another major trophy with considerable practicality. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had made several changes for that cup match but was compelled to introduce his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "incensed" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match winning run against Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and two in a later league win before suffering a serious knee injury, is expected to start for the first since that setback. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're used to it," commented Arteta on the congested fixture list. "In my view this week was the only full week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is will be like this. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be prepared."

Amid key players returning from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal pose a daunting test for a Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the holiday schedule ramps up.