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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a restful period with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth match of the season—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace could prioritize other competitions was swiftly dismissed by their manager.

"No, I don't think so," remarked Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "If somebody tells me that we lose deliberately, the next day I'm no longer the coach any more."

There is a clear difference in Glasner's approach to cup tournaments relative to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's journey to the League Cup last eight in his debut complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner fielded his best lineup for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final match ended in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a slightly controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at the interval. Now, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a plan for revenge against the current Premier League leaders in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week because of European commitments.

A Cost of Achievement and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, 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 demands of European football for the very first time. These pressures are taking a toll on several exhausted players, many of whom have barely had a rest all term.

The coach deployed an completely changed lineup, featuring four youngsters, in their last Conference League match. However, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "no option" but to pick the majority of his first-choice side, which appeared extremely lethargic as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he said.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Selection Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The boss must balance his desire to win a another major trophy with considerable pragmatism. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented 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 decisive goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "incensed" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match winning run versus Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and a brace in a subsequent league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, looks set to start for the first time since that injury. Arteta disclosed the forward 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 only complete week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is going to be similar. We have a beautiful chance to go into the last four of a competition so we will be prepared."

Amid important players returning from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal pose a formidable challenge for a Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the holiday period intensifies.