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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a quiet period with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth game of the season—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace could focus on other tournaments was quickly rejected by their boss.

"No, I do not believe that," declared Glasner following his team's side's four-one defeat to Leeds. "Should somebody informs me that we are defeated on purpose, the next day I'm not the manager any more."

There is a marked difference in Glasner's approach to domestic cup tournaments compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his debut complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner selected his strongest lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a showdown with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final 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 half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must devise a plan for payback versus the current Premier League leaders in a fixture that was moved to this week owing to European commitments.

The Price of Success and European Fatigue

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

The coach fielded an completely different lineup, including four youngsters, in their final Conference League match. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to pick the bulk of his preferred side, which looked decidedly lethargic as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Selection Dilemmas

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

Arteta had made a number of changes for that cup match but was compelled to bring on his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game winning run against Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and a brace in a later league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, looks set to start for the first time since then setback. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are used to it," said Arteta on the busy schedule. "I think this week was the only full week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is will be similar. We have a wonderful chance to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be ready."

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