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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a quiet few days with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth fixture of the season—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. However, the suggestion that Palace might focus on other tournaments was firmly dismissed by their boss.

"No, I don't think so," remarked Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 hammering to Leeds. "If somebody informs me that we lose on purpose, the next day I'm no longer the coach anymore."

There exists a marked contrast in Glasner's approach to domestic cup competitions versus his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup last eight in his debut full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner selected his first-choice side for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight match concluded in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a slightly debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to devise a strategy for revenge versus the present Premier League leaders in a fixture that was moved to this week because of European commitments.

A Cost of Success and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, 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 demands of European football for the very first time. These demands are catching up with several fatigued players, many of whom have hardly had a rest all season.

The manager deployed an entirely different side, featuring four teenagers, in their final Conference League match. Yet, for the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "no option" but to pick the majority of his preferred team, which looked decidedly lethargic as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he stated.

The Gunners' Perspective and Team Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The boss must balance his desire to win a another major trophy with extreme pragmatism. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had made several changes for that League Cup match but was forced to introduce his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a decisive goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match winning run against Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and a brace in a subsequent league win before suffering a serious knee injury, is expected to start for the first time 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 schedule. "In my view this week was the sole full week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is will be like this. We have a beautiful chance to go into the last four of a competition so we will be ready."

With key players returning from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal pose a formidable test for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the festive period ramps up.