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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a quiet few days with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th game of the season—a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace might focus on other competitions was firmly rejected by their head coach.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," stated Glasner after his team's side's four-one loss to Leeds. "Should somebody informs me that we lose on purpose, the following day I'm no longer the manager anymore."

There exists a clear contrast in Glasner's approach to domestic cup competitions compared to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's run to the League Cup quarter-finals in his debut full season in command. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner picked his first-choice lineup for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final tie concluded in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a slightly debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must figure out a strategy for revenge versus the present Premier League pace-setters in a match that was rescheduled to this week because of European obligations.

The Cost of Success and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own success. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has brought the rigors of European football for the first time. These pressures are catching up with several fatigued players, many of whom have barely enjoyed a rest all term.

The manager selected an entirely changed lineup, featuring four teenagers, in their final Conference League fixture. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "no option" but to pick the majority of his first-choice team, which looked extremely jaded as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he affirmed.

Arsenal's Perspective and Selection Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The manager must juggle his desire to win a another major trophy with considerable practicality. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that League Cup tie but was forced to introduce his "key players" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a decisive goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game winning streak versus Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and two in a subsequent league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, is expected to start for the first time since that injury. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the busy schedule. "I think this week was the only full week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is will be like this. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be prepared."

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