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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a restful period with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth match of the season—a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. However, the suggestion that Palace might prioritize other competitions was quickly dismissed by their boss.

"No, I do not believe that," declared Glasner following his team's side's four-one hammering to Leeds. "If somebody informs me that we lose on purpose, the next day I'm no longer the manager any more."

There exists a clear difference in Glasner's approach to cup competitions relative to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his debut complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had already been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner fielded his best side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight tie concluded in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must devise a strategy for payback versus the present Premier League leaders in a fixture that was moved to this week because of European commitments.

The Cost of Achievement and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own success. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final has ushered in the demands of European football for the first time. These demands are taking a toll on some fatigued squad members, many of whom have hardly had a rest all season.

The manager selected an completely changed team, featuring four youngsters, in their final Conference League match. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to select the bulk of his preferred side, which appeared decidedly lethargic as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Perspective and Team Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The manager must juggle his ambition to win a another major trophy with extreme pragmatism. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that cup tie but was forced to introduce his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial 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 have an eight-game unbeaten streak against Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and a brace in a subsequent league win before suffering a serious knee injury, looks set to begin for the first time since then injury. Arteta disclosed the striker 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 only full 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 semi-final of a tournament so we will be ready."

Amid key players returning from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal present a formidable challenge for a Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the holiday period intensifies.