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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a quiet period 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 notion that Palace might prioritize other competitions was firmly rejected by their manager.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," declared Glasner following his team's side's four-one hammering to Leeds. "Should anyone informs me that we are defeated on purpose, the next day I'm not the manager any more."

There exists a clear contrast in Glasner's strategy to cup competitions versus his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup last eight in his first complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the club had already been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner fielded his strongest team for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a showdown with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final tie concluded in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a slightly debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at half-time. Now, Glasner must devise a strategy for revenge against the current Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week owing to European commitments.

The Price of Achievement and Continental 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 ushered in the demands of European football for the first time. These demands are catching up with some weary squad members, many of whom have hardly had a break all term.

The coach deployed an completely changed side, featuring four youngsters, in their last Conference League fixture. However, ahead of the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to choose the majority of his first-choice side, which looked extremely lethargic as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he affirmed.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Selection Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The manager must balance his desire to win a second major trophy with considerable pragmatism. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had made several changes for that cup tie but was forced to introduce his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a decisive goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game winning run against Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and a brace in a subsequent league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, looks set to begin for the first time since that injury. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're used to it," said Arteta on the busy schedule. "In my view this week was the sole full week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is going to be like this. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be ready."

With key players returning from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal pose a formidable test for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the festive period ramps up.