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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a quiet few days with his family in Austria before Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth game of the season—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace might focus on other tournaments was firmly rejected by their head coach.

"No, I don't think so," declared Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 hammering to Leeds. "If somebody informs me that we lose deliberately, the next day I'm not the coach anymore."

There is a marked contrast in Glasner's strategy to cup tournaments relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his first full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner selected his first-choice lineup for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a encounter with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final match ended in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a somewhat controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must figure out a plan for payback versus the current Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was moved to this week because of European commitments.

A Cost of Achievement and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final has ushered in the rigors of European football for the very first time. These pressures are catching up with several weary players, many of whom have barely enjoyed a break all season.

The manager deployed an entirely changed side, including four teenagers, in their last Conference League match. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "no option" but to pick the majority of his first-choice team, which appeared decidedly jaded as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he stated.

Arsenal's Perspective and Selection Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The manager must balance his ambition to win a second major trophy with extreme pragmatism. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that cup tie but was forced to bring on his "key players" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match unbeaten run against Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and two in a subsequent league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, is expected to start for the first time since that injury. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the busy schedule. "In my view this week was the only full week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is will be like this. We have a wonderful chance to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be ready."

With key players coming back from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal present a daunting test for a Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the festive period intensifies.