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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a restful period with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth match of the season—a Carabao Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. However, the idea that Palace could prioritize other competitions was firmly dismissed by their boss.

"No, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "If somebody informs me that we lose on purpose, the next day I'm not the coach anymore."

There is a clear contrast in Glasner's philosophy to domestic cup competitions versus his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his first complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the club 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 fielded his strongest team for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight tie concluded in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, following a somewhat controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at the interval. Now, Glasner must figure out a strategy for payback against the present Premier League leaders in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week owing to European commitments.

A Cost of Achievement and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own success. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the challenges of continental football for the first time. These pressures are catching up with some weary players, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a rest all season.

The coach selected an completely different lineup, including four youngsters, in their last Conference League match. However, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to pick the majority of his preferred team, which appeared extremely jaded as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Perspective and Team Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The boss must balance his ambition 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 just days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that cup tie but was forced to introduce his "key players" after the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a decisive goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game winning streak versus Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and a brace in a subsequent league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, is expected to begin for the first since then setback. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "beautiful" 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 only full week we had to prepare. 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 important players returning from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal pose a formidable challenge for a Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the festive period ramps up.