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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a quiet period with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th game of the campaign—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace could focus on other competitions was firmly rejected by their head coach.

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

There is a clear contrast in Glasner's strategy to cup tournaments relative to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup last eight in his first complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner picked his first-choice side for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight match concluded in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a somewhat debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must devise a plan for revenge versus the present Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week because of European obligations.

The Cost of Success and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own success. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has brought the challenges of European football for the first time. These pressures are taking a toll on some weary squad members, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a break all term.

The coach deployed an completely changed team, including four youngsters, in their final Conference League match. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "no option" but to pick the bulk of his preferred side, which looked decidedly jaded as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Team Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The boss must balance his ambition to win a second major trophy with considerable pragmatism. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had made several changes for that cup tie but was forced to bring on his "key players" after 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 possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match winning streak versus Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and two in a subsequent league win before suffering a serious knee injury, looks set to begin for the first since then injury. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're used to it," commented Arteta on the congested schedule. "I think 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 wonderful chance to go into the last four of a competition so we will be ready."

With important players returning from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal present a daunting test for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the holiday schedule ramps up.