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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a quiet period with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth game of the season—a Carabao Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace might focus on other competitions was firmly rejected by their manager.

"No, I don't think so," remarked Glasner following his team's side's four-one hammering to Leeds. "Should anyone informs me that we are defeated on purpose, the next day I'm no longer the manager any more."

There exists a marked difference in Glasner's strategy to domestic cup competitions relative to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's run to the League Cup quarter-finals in his debut complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner selected his strongest side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a showdown with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight tie ended in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a slightly controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, 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 commitments.

A Price of Success and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the demands of continental football for the first time. These pressures are catching up with several exhausted players, many of whom have barely enjoyed a break all term.

The manager fielded an completely changed side, featuring four teenagers, in their final Conference League match. However, for the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to select the bulk of his first-choice side, which appeared extremely jaded as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he said.

Arsenal's Perspective and Team Dilemmas

For 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 versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that League Cup tie but was compelled to introduce his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match unbeaten run versus Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and two in a subsequent league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, looks set to begin for the first since that injury. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the congested schedule. "I think this week was the sole full week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is going to be like this. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the last four of a competition so we will be ready."

Amid key players coming back from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal present a formidable test for a Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the festive schedule intensifies.