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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a restful period with his family in Austria before Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th game of the season—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the notion that Palace could prioritize other competitions was swiftly dismissed by their manager.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," declared Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 loss to Leeds. "If anyone tells me that we lose deliberately, the following day I'm not the manager anymore."

There is a stark contrast in Glasner's strategy to cup competitions relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's journey to the League Cup last eight in his first full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had already been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner fielded 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 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, due to a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at the interval. Now, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a plan for revenge versus the present Premier League leaders in a match that was moved to this week because of European obligations.

A Price of Achievement and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own success. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has ushered in the challenges of continental football for the very first time. These pressures are taking a toll on several exhausted players, many of whom have barely had a rest all season.

The coach fielded an completely changed lineup, including four teenagers, in their final Conference League match. However, for the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "no option" but to select the bulk of his preferred side, which looked extremely jaded as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he said.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Team Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The boss must balance his desire to win a second major trophy with extreme pragmatism. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had made several changes for that League Cup match but was compelled 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 "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game unbeaten run against Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and a brace in a later league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, looks set to begin for the first time since that setback. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "beautiful" 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 only complete week we had to get ready. 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 prepared."

Amid key players returning from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal present a daunting challenge for a Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the festive schedule ramps up.