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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a restful period with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th game of the campaign—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. Yet, the notion that Palace could prioritize other tournaments was quickly dismissed by their boss.

"No, I do not believe that," stated Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 loss to Leeds. "If somebody informs me that we lose deliberately, the following day I'm no longer the manager any more."

There exists a clear difference in Glasner's philosophy to cup tournaments compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his debut full season in command. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner fielded his best team for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight match concluded in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a slightly debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must devise a strategy for revenge versus the present Premier League leaders in a match that was moved to this week owing to European obligations.

A Price of Achievement and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the challenges of continental football for the first time. These demands are catching up with some exhausted players, many of whom have hardly had a rest all term.

The coach fielded an entirely different team, including four youngsters, in their last Conference League fixture. However, for the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "no option" but to select the majority of his first-choice team, which looked decidedly lethargic as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he said.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Team Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The boss must balance his ambition to win a another major trophy with considerable pragmatism. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had made several changes for that League Cup match but was compelled to bring on his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a decisive goal in a move 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 unbeaten run versus Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and two in a subsequent league win before suffering a serious knee injury, is expected to start for the first time since that setback. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We are used to it," said Arteta on the busy schedule. "In my view this week was the only full week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is going to be similar. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the last four of a competition so we will be prepared."

With important players coming back from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal pose a formidable challenge for a Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the festive schedule intensifies.