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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a quiet few days with his family in Austria before Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth match of the campaign—a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace could focus on other tournaments was quickly dismissed by their boss.

"No, I don't think so," remarked Glasner after his team's side's four-one defeat to Leeds. "Should somebody tells me that we lose on purpose, the next day I'm no longer the manager anymore."

There is a clear contrast in Glasner's strategy to cup tournaments relative to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's run to the League Cup quarter-finals in his debut full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner selected his strongest team for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight tie ended in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at the interval. Now, Glasner now faces the task to devise a strategy for revenge versus the present Premier League pace-setters in a match that was rescheduled to this week owing to European obligations.

A Price of Achievement 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 challenges of European football for the very first time. These demands are taking a toll on some weary players, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a rest all term.

The coach fielded an entirely changed lineup, featuring four youngsters, in their final Conference League fixture. Yet, for the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to select the bulk of his preferred team, which appeared decidedly jaded as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Team Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The boss must balance his ambition to win a another major trophy with extreme pragmatism. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had made several changes for that League Cup match but was forced to bring on his "key players" following the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a decisive goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match unbeaten streak versus Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and two in a subsequent league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, is expected to start for the first time since that injury. 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 schedule. "I think this week was the sole complete week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is will be similar. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be ready."

Amid key players coming back from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal pose a formidable challenge for a Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the holiday schedule ramps up.