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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a restful few days 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 with Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace might prioritize other competitions was quickly dismissed by their boss.

"No, I do not believe that," declared Glasner following his team's side's four-one loss to Leeds. "Should somebody tells me that we are defeated on purpose, the next day I'm not the manager anymore."

There exists a stark contrast in Glasner's philosophy to domestic cup tournaments versus his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup last eight in his first complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the team had already been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner picked his strongest side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a encounter with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight tie concluded in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, due to a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at the interval. Now, Glasner now faces the task to devise a strategy for payback versus the current Premier League leaders in a match that was rescheduled to this week because of European obligations.

A Price of Achievement and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own success. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final has brought the challenges of European football for the first time. These pressures are taking a toll on some exhausted players, many of whom have barely had a rest all season.

The manager fielded an entirely changed side, featuring four teenagers, in their final Conference League match. However, ahead of the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to select the bulk of his first-choice side, which appeared extremely jaded as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

Arsenal's Perspective and Selection Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The manager must balance his ambition to win a another major trophy with considerable practicality. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had made 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 move that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game winning run against Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and a brace in a later league win before suffering a serious 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 means to him.

"We are accustomed to it," said Arteta on the congested schedule. "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 beautiful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be prepared."

With key players returning from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal pose a formidable challenge for a Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the holiday period ramps up.