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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a restful few days with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth match of the season—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. However, the idea that Palace could prioritize other competitions was quickly dismissed by their boss.

"No, I don't think so," stated Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 loss to Leeds. "If somebody informs me that we are defeated on purpose, the following day I'm no longer the manager any more."

There exists a stark difference in Glasner's strategy to cup competitions compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's run to the League Cup last eight in his debut full season in command. Under Hodgson, the club had already been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner picked his strongest side for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight match ended in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a somewhat controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a plan for payback versus the present Premier League leaders in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week because of European commitments.

A Price of Achievement and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own success. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the demands of European football for the first time. These pressures are taking a toll on several fatigued players, many of whom have barely had a rest all term.

The coach deployed an completely changed side, featuring four youngsters, in their last Conference League match. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "no option" but to select the bulk of his preferred team, which looked decidedly lethargic as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he said.

Arsenal's Perspective and Team Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The manager must balance his ambition to win a second major trophy with extreme pragmatism. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that League Cup tie but was forced to introduce his "key players" following the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game 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 begin for the first time since that injury. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're used to it," commented Arteta on the busy 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 like this. We have a beautiful chance to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be prepared."

With key players returning from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal present a daunting challenge for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the festive schedule intensifies.