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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a quiet period with his family in Austria before Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth match of the campaign—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the notion that Palace might focus on other competitions was firmly dismissed by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," stated Glasner after his team's side's four-one defeat to Leeds. "If anyone tells me that we lose deliberately, the following day I'm no longer the manager anymore."

There is a clear contrast in Glasner's strategy to cup competitions relative to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup last eight in his debut 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. Conversely, Glasner selected his best team for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight match concluded in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at the interval. Now, Glasner must devise a strategy for payback against the present Premier League pace-setters in a match that was moved to this week owing to European obligations.

The Price of Achievement and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own success. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has brought the challenges of European football for the very first time. These demands are taking a toll on some fatigued squad members, many of whom have barely enjoyed a rest all term.

The coach fielded an entirely different side, featuring four youngsters, in their final Conference League fixture. However, ahead of the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to pick the majority of his first-choice side, which appeared decidedly jaded as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he stated.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Selection Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The manager must juggle his ambition to win a second major trophy with extreme practicality. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that League Cup match but was forced to introduce his "key players" after the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "incensed" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match unbeaten streak against Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and a brace in a later league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, is expected to begin for the first time since that setback. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We are used to it," commented Arteta on the congested fixture list. "I think this week was the only full week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is going to be similar. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be prepared."

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