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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a quiet period with his family in Austria before Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth game of the season—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. However, the suggestion that Palace could focus on other tournaments was swiftly dismissed by their boss.

"No, I don't think so," declared Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 hammering to Leeds. "Should anyone informs me that we lose deliberately, the next day I'm no longer the coach any more."

There exists a marked difference in Glasner's approach to cup competitions relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's run 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 took over 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 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, following 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 match that was rescheduled to this week owing to European obligations.

A Cost of Success and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own success. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the demands of European football for the very first time. These demands are taking a toll on several weary players, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a rest all season.

The coach selected an completely different side, featuring four teenagers, in their last Conference League match. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to pick the majority of his first-choice team, which appeared decidedly jaded as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he stated.

Arsenal's Perspective and Team Considerations

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

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that cup match but was forced to introduce his "key players" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play 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-match unbeaten streak versus Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and two in a later league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, is expected to start for the first since then setback. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the busy schedule. "In my view this week was the only full week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is will be like this. We have a wonderful chance to go into the last four of a competition so we will be ready."

With key players coming back from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal present a formidable test for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the festive period intensifies.