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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend 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 with Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace could prioritize other competitions was quickly dismissed by their head coach.

"No, I don't think so," declared Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "If somebody tells me that we are defeated on purpose, the following day I'm no longer the manager anymore."

There exists a marked contrast in Glasner's approach to cup competitions compared to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's run to the League Cup quarter-finals in his debut full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner fielded his best lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a encounter with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final tie concluded in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must devise a plan for revenge against the current Premier League pace-setters in a match that was moved to this week owing to European commitments.

A Cost of Achievement and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final has brought the rigors of continental football for the first time. These demands are catching up with some fatigued squad members, many of whom have hardly had a break all term.

The coach fielded an completely changed lineup, featuring four youngsters, in their final Conference League match. However, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to pick the bulk of his first-choice side, which appeared extremely jaded as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he said.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Team Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The manager must juggle 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 aspirations.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that cup tie but was forced to bring on his "key players" following the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a move 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-game unbeaten streak versus Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and two in a later league win before suffering a serious knee injury, looks set to begin for the first time since then setback. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're used to it," commented Arteta on the congested fixture list. "In my view this week was the sole complete week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is going to be similar. We have a wonderful chance to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be prepared."

Amid key players coming back from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal pose a formidable test for a Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the holiday period ramps up.