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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a restful few days with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth match of the season—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. However, the idea that Palace could prioritize other competitions was firmly rejected by their head coach.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," declared Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 loss to Leeds. "If anyone tells me that we are defeated deliberately, the next day I'm not the coach any more."

There is a stark contrast in Glasner's approach to cup competitions compared to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's run to the League Cup last eight in his debut complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the club had already been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner selected his best side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final tie ended in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a somewhat debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at half-time. Now, Glasner now faces the task to devise a plan for revenge against the present Premier League pace-setters in a match that was moved to this week because of European obligations.

The Cost of Achievement and Continental Exhaustion

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

The coach fielded an completely changed lineup, including four teenagers, in their final Conference League fixture. However, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "no option" but to pick the bulk of his preferred team, which appeared extremely jaded as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he said.

The Gunners' Perspective 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 considerable pragmatism. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that League Cup match but was compelled to introduce 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 potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match winning streak versus Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and a brace in a subsequent league win before suffering a serious knee injury, is expected to start for the first since then 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 fixture list. "In my view this week was the only complete week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is will be like this. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the last four of a competition so we will be prepared."

With key players coming back from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal present a formidable challenge for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the holiday period ramps up.