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

"No, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner after his team's side's four-one hammering to Leeds. "Should anyone informs me that we lose deliberately, the following day I'm not the manager any more."

There exists a marked difference in Glasner's philosophy to cup tournaments relative to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's journey to the League Cup quarter-finals in his first full season in command. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner selected his strongest lineup for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final tie concluded in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, following a somewhat debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at half-time. Now, Glasner must devise a strategy for revenge against the current Premier League leaders in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week because of European commitments.

The Price of Success and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final has brought the challenges of continental football for the very first time. These pressures are catching up with some fatigued players, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a break all term.

The manager deployed an completely different team, including four youngsters, in their final Conference League fixture. However, ahead of the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "no option" but to pick the bulk of his first-choice team, which appeared extremely jaded as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he stated.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Selection Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The manager must juggle his ambition to win a another major trophy with considerable practicality. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that League Cup tie but was compelled to introduce his "key players" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match winning run versus Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and a brace in a subsequent league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, is expected to start for the first since then injury. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the busy fixture list. "In my view this week was the only full week we had to get ready. 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 ready."

Amid important players returning from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal present a daunting challenge for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the festive schedule intensifies.