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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a restful few days with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth fixture of the campaign—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the notion that Palace could prioritize other tournaments was firmly rejected by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," stated Glasner after his team's side's four-one loss to Leeds. "If anyone informs me that we lose deliberately, the following day I'm not the manager any more."

There is a marked difference in Glasner's philosophy to cup tournaments relative to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup last eight in his debut complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner picked his strongest side for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a encounter with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final match concluded in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must figure out a plan for payback against the present Premier League pace-setters in a match that was rescheduled to this week owing to European obligations.

The Cost of Success and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own achievements. 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 very first time. These pressures are taking a toll on several exhausted players, many of whom have barely had a rest all season.

The coach deployed an entirely different lineup, featuring four teenagers, in their last Conference League match. However, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to select the majority of his first-choice side, which appeared decidedly jaded as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Perspective and Selection Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The manager must balance his desire to win a second major trophy with considerable pragmatism. The previous season, 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 cup tie but was forced to bring on his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a decisive goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "incensed" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match unbeaten run against Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and a brace 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 means to him.

"We are used to it," commented Arteta on the busy schedule. "I think this week was the sole complete week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is going to be similar. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be ready."

Amid important players returning from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal present a daunting test for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the festive period ramps up.