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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a restful few days with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth fixture of the season—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. However, the suggestion that Palace could prioritize other tournaments was firmly dismissed by their head coach.

"No, I don't think so," stated Glasner after his team's side's four-one defeat to Leeds. "If somebody tells me that we are defeated on purpose, the next day I'm not the manager anymore."

There exists a clear difference in Glasner's philosophy to cup tournaments versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first 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 by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner selected his best lineup for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a encounter with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight tie concluded in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at half-time. Now, Glasner now faces the task to devise a strategy for revenge versus the present Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week because of European obligations.

A Price of Success and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the rigors of continental football for the very first time. These pressures are catching up with some fatigued squad members, many of whom have barely had a rest all term.

The manager fielded an completely different side, including four youngsters, in their last Conference League fixture. However, ahead of the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to select the bulk of his first-choice side, which appeared decidedly lethargic as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he stated.

The Gunners' Perspective and Selection Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The manager must juggle his desire to win a another major trophy with considerable practicality. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that cup match but was forced to introduce his "key players" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a decisive goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match unbeaten run versus Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and two in a subsequent league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, looks set to start for the first since then setback. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are used to it," commented Arteta on the busy fixture list. "In my view this week was the only complete week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is going to be like this. We have a wonderful chance to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be prepared."

Amid key players coming back from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal present a formidable test for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the holiday period intensifies.