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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a quiet few days with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth match of the season—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace might prioritize other competitions was quickly dismissed by their boss.

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

There is a marked difference in Glasner's approach to cup tournaments relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's journey to the League Cup last eight in his debut full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner selected his strongest side for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a encounter with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight match ended in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, following a slightly controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must figure out a strategy for revenge against the current Premier League leaders in a match that was rescheduled to this week because of European commitments.

A Cost of Success and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own success. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has brought the rigors of continental football for the very first time. These pressures are taking a toll on some fatigued squad members, many of whom have hardly had a rest all season.

The coach deployed an entirely different side, including four teenagers, in their last Conference League fixture. Yet, for the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "no option" but to choose the bulk of his preferred side, which looked extremely jaded as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he said.

The Gunners' Perspective and Team Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The boss must balance his desire to win a another major trophy with extreme practicality. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that League Cup match but was compelled 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 passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game unbeaten streak against Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and two in a subsequent league win before suffering a serious knee injury, looks set to start for the first since then injury. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are used to it," said Arteta on the busy fixture list. "I think this week was the sole full week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is will be like this. We have a beautiful opportunity 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 present a formidable challenge for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the festive period intensifies.