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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a restful period with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the season—a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace could prioritize other competitions was swiftly dismissed by their head coach.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," declared Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 loss to Leeds. "Should somebody tells me that we lose on purpose, the next day I'm no longer the coach anymore."

There is a stark difference in Glasner's strategy to cup tournaments relative to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his debut complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had already been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner picked his first-choice team for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That prior 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 led at half-time. Now, Glasner now faces the task to devise a strategy for revenge against the current Premier League leaders in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week because of European commitments.

A Price of Success and Continental 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 subsequently ushered in the rigors of continental football for the very first time. These pressures are catching up with several exhausted squad members, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a rest all term.

The manager selected an entirely changed side, including four youngsters, in their final Conference League fixture. However, ahead of the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to pick the bulk of his preferred side, which appeared extremely jaded as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he said.

Arsenal's Perspective and Team Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The manager must balance his ambition to win a second major trophy with extreme practicality. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that cup match but was compelled to bring on his "key players" after the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match winning run versus Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and two in a later league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, looks set to start for the first since that injury. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the busy schedule. "In my view this week was the sole full week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is will be similar. We have a wonderful chance to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be ready."

With important players coming back from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal pose a daunting test for a Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the festive schedule ramps up.