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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a quiet period with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th game of the season—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace might prioritize other tournaments was quickly rejected by their head coach.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner following his team's side's four-one loss to Leeds. "If somebody tells me that we lose deliberately, the following day I'm not the manager anymore."

There exists a marked difference in Glasner's strategy to cup competitions compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's journey to the League Cup last eight in his first full season in command. Under Hodgson, the club had already been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner picked his first-choice lineup for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight tie concluded in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must figure out a strategy for payback versus the present Premier League pace-setters in a match that was moved to this week owing to European commitments.

The Price of Achievement and Continental Fatigue

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 subsequently brought the rigors of European football for the very first time. These pressures are taking a toll on several fatigued players, many of whom have hardly had a break all term.

The coach selected an entirely different lineup, including four teenagers, in their final Conference League match. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to pick the majority of his first-choice team, which appeared decidedly lethargic as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Perspective and Team Dilemmas

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

Arteta had implemented several changes for that League Cup tie but was compelled to bring on his "key players" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a decisive goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.

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

"We're accustomed to it," said Arteta on the busy fixture list. "I think this week was the sole full week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is going to be like this. We have a beautiful chance to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be prepared."

Amid key players coming back from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal pose a formidable test for a Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the holiday period intensifies.