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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a quiet period with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth match of the season—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. However, the notion that Palace could focus on other competitions was quickly dismissed by their manager.

"No, I do not believe that," declared Glasner after his team's side's four-one defeat to Leeds. "Should somebody informs me that we are defeated on purpose, the following day I'm no longer the manager anymore."

There is a marked difference in Glasner's strategy to cup tournaments relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's journey to the League Cup quarter-finals in his debut complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner picked his best side for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight tie ended 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. Now, Glasner must figure out a strategy for payback against the present Premier League leaders in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week because of European obligations.

The Price of Achievement and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own success. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the challenges of continental football for the first time. These demands are catching up with several exhausted squad members, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a rest all season.

The manager selected an entirely changed team, featuring four teenagers, in their last Conference League match. Yet, for the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "no option" but to choose the bulk of his preferred team, which looked extremely jaded as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he said.

The Gunners' Perspective and Selection Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The boss must juggle his ambition to win a second major trophy with considerable pragmatism. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that cup match but was forced to bring on his "key players" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up 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 have an eight-match unbeaten run versus Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and two in a later league win before suffering a serious knee injury, is expected to begin for the first time since then injury. 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 schedule. "In my view this week was the sole full week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is will be similar. We have a beautiful chance to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be ready."

Amid key players coming back from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal present a daunting test for a Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the holiday period intensifies.