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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a restful period with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth fixture of the campaign—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. However, the idea that Palace could prioritize other competitions was quickly rejected by their head coach.

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

There is a stark contrast in Glasner's approach to cup tournaments versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his debut full season in command. 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. In contrast, Glasner fielded his strongest side for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight tie ended in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at the interval. Now, Glasner now faces the task to devise a plan for payback versus the current Premier League leaders in a match that was rescheduled to this week owing to European commitments.

A Price of Achievement and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own success. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the challenges of continental football for the first time. These pressures are taking a toll on several exhausted squad members, many of whom have barely enjoyed a break all season.

The coach selected an entirely changed lineup, including four teenagers, in their final Conference League match. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to select the majority of his preferred side, which appeared extremely lethargic as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he said.

The Gunners' Perspective and Team Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The manager must juggle his desire to win a second major trophy with considerable practicality. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had made several changes for that League Cup match but was forced to bring on his "key players" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game winning run versus Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and two in a later league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, is expected to start for the first since then setback. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are accustomed to it," said Arteta on the busy schedule. "I think this week was the sole complete week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is going to be similar. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the last four of a competition so we will be ready."

Amid important players coming back from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal pose a daunting test for a Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the holiday period intensifies.