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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a restful few days with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th game of the season—a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. Yet, the notion that Palace might focus on other tournaments was quickly rejected by their manager.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," stated Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 hammering to Leeds. "Should anyone tells me that we lose on purpose, the next day I'm no longer the coach anymore."

There exists a clear contrast in Glasner's strategy to domestic cup competitions versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup last eight in his first full season in charge. 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 selected his first-choice lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a encounter with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final match concluded in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at half-time. Now, Glasner must figure out a plan for revenge versus the current Premier League leaders in a match that was rescheduled to this week owing to European commitments.

A Price of Achievement and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has brought the demands of continental football for the first time. These pressures are taking a toll on some fatigued players, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a rest all term.

The manager fielded an completely different team, featuring four youngsters, in their last Conference League fixture. Yet, for the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "no option" but to select the bulk of his preferred side, which appeared decidedly lethargic as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Selection Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The manager must juggle his desire to win a second major trophy with extreme practicality. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that cup match but was forced to introduce his "key players" following the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match winning streak versus Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and two in a later 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," said Arteta on the busy fixture list. "I think this week was the sole complete week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is going to be like this. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be ready."

Amid important players coming back from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal pose a daunting test for a Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the festive period ramps up.