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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a quiet period with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth game of the campaign—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace might focus on other tournaments was quickly rejected by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," remarked Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 loss to Leeds. "If anyone tells me that we are defeated on purpose, the following day I'm not the manager anymore."

There is a stark difference in Glasner's approach to cup competitions compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his first complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the club had already been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner picked his best lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight tie ended in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at the interval. Now, Glasner must devise a plan for payback against the current Premier League pace-setters in a match that was rescheduled to this week because of European commitments.

A Cost of Achievement and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own success. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final has ushered in the demands of European football for the first time. These demands are taking a toll on several exhausted squad members, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a rest all season.

The manager selected an entirely changed team, including four teenagers, in their last Conference League fixture. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "no option" but to choose the bulk of his preferred team, which looked decidedly lethargic as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

Arsenal's Perspective and Team Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The manager must balance his ambition 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 only days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that cup tie but was forced to bring on his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "incensed" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game unbeaten run against Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and a brace in a subsequent league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, looks set to start for the first time since then setback. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

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

Amid key players returning from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal pose a daunting test for a Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the festive period intensifies.