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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a restful 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. However, the idea that Palace could prioritize other tournaments was swiftly dismissed by their head coach.

"No, I don't think so," stated Glasner after his team's side's four-one loss to Leeds. "If anyone informs me that we are defeated on purpose, the next day I'm not the manager anymore."

There is a stark contrast in Glasner's strategy to cup tournaments relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's run to the League Cup last eight in his first full season in command. Under Hodgson, the club had already been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner picked his best team for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a encounter with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight match ended in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a somewhat debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at half-time. Now, Glasner must devise a strategy for revenge against the current Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week because of European commitments.

The Cost of Success and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own achievements. Leading 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 taking a toll on some fatigued squad members, many of whom have hardly had a rest all term.

The coach selected an entirely different side, featuring four youngsters, in their final Conference League match. However, for the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to select the bulk of his first-choice team, which looked extremely jaded as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he stated.

Arsenal's Perspective and Selection Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The manager must juggle 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 only days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that cup tie but was compelled to introduce 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 potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match winning streak versus Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and a brace in a later league win before suffering a serious knee injury, looks set to start for the first since then setback. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We are used to it," said Arteta on the congested fixture list. "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 wonderful chance to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be ready."

Amid important players coming back from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal present a formidable challenge for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the festive period ramps up.