Arsene Wenger plans to give several of his top stars a short winter break this week by allowing them to skip Saturday's FA Cup game at Preston, a club source has told ESPN FC.
Mesut Ozil, who missed the team's last two Premier League games with an illness, Alexis Sanchez and Laurent Koscielny are all expected to be rested against the Championship club, the source said.
Wenger complained about the Premier League scheduling before and after Tuesday's 3-3 draw at Bournemouth, their second match in three days, and is expected to be keen to give players a much-needed break after seeing them struggle physically against Eddie Howe's side.
Koscielny had to be taken off with cramps during the second half of that game, while Wenger said Hector Bellerin also struggled with a knock.
Ozil may have been a doubt for the Preston game regardless as he has yet to recover from a bout of flu that ruled him out of Sunday's win over Crystal Palace and the Bournemouth game, where Arsenal came from 3-0 down with a dramatic comeback in the final 20 minutes.
However, Wenger took a similar approach with the star playmaker in last season's FA Cup, when Ozil was rested in the team's opening rounds against lower-tier opposition.
Sanchez is always reluctant to miss a game but the Preston match represents a rare chance to give him a break, especially as Olivier Giroud and Lucas Perez are showing good form after only seeing limited playing time this season.
Wenger could also be tempted to bring Danny Welbeck back into the squad, having said the England forward is looking sharp in training after returning from a long-term knee injury.
However, Wenger's ability to rotate is limited by injuries with Theo Walcott and Kieran Gibbs still doubtful, while Mohamed Elneny is away on international duty with Egypt.