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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a quiet period with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth game of the campaign—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. However, the suggestion that Palace could prioritize other tournaments was swiftly dismissed by their boss.

"No, I do not believe that," stated Glasner after his team's side's four-one loss to Leeds. "If anyone informs me that we are defeated deliberately, the following day I'm no longer the manager anymore."

There exists a stark contrast in Glasner's approach to cup competitions versus his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his first full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner fielded his first-choice team for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final tie concluded in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, due to a slightly controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at the interval. Now, Glasner now faces the task to devise a plan for payback versus the current Premier League leaders in a match that was moved to this week owing to European obligations.

A Price of Achievement and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own success. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final has ushered in the rigors of European football for the very first time. These demands are catching up with some weary players, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a break all season.

The coach selected an completely changed side, featuring four teenagers, in their final Conference League match. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to select the majority of his preferred team, which appeared decidedly jaded as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he stated.

The Gunners' Perspective and Team Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The manager must balance his ambition to win a another major trophy with extreme practicality. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had made several changes for that League Cup tie but was forced to introduce his "key players" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match winning streak versus Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and two in a later league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, looks set to start for the first since that setback. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're used to it," said Arteta on the busy schedule. "I think this week was the sole full week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is will be similar. We have a beautiful chance to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be ready."

Amid key players coming back from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal pose a formidable test for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the festive schedule intensifies.