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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a quiet period with his family in Austria before Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th game of the season—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. However, the notion that Palace might prioritize other competitions was quickly dismissed by their head coach.

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

There exists a marked contrast in Glasner's strategy to domestic cup tournaments compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's journey to the League Cup quarter-finals in his debut complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner selected his best team for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight tie ended in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a slightly controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at half-time. Now, Glasner must devise a strategy for revenge versus the current Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was moved to this week because of European obligations.

A Cost of Achievement and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the demands of continental football for the very first time. These demands are catching up with several weary players, many of whom have barely had a break all season.

The manager selected an entirely different team, including four teenagers, in their last Conference League fixture. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "no option" but to select the bulk of his first-choice side, which looked decidedly lethargic as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he stated.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Selection Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The boss must juggle his ambition to win a another major trophy with extreme pragmatism. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that League Cup match 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 passage of play that left Glasner "incensed" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game winning streak against Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and a brace in a subsequent league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, is expected to begin for the first time since then setback. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We are accustomed to it," said Arteta on the busy fixture list. "In my view this week was the only full week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is going to be like this. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be prepared."

Amid important players returning from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal pose a formidable challenge for a Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the festive period intensifies.