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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a restful period with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth match of the season—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the notion that Palace could prioritize other competitions was quickly dismissed by their boss.

"No, I don't think so," remarked Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "If somebody tells me that we lose on purpose, the next day I'm no longer the manager anymore."

There is a marked difference in Glasner's strategy to cup competitions versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup last eight in his first complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had already been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner picked his best side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a showdown with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final tie ended in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a somewhat 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 versus the present Premier League leaders in a match that was rescheduled to this week owing to European commitments.

The Cost of Success and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the rigors of European football for the first time. These demands are taking a toll on several weary players, many of whom have hardly had a rest all term.

The manager deployed an entirely different side, including four youngsters, in their final Conference League match. However, ahead of the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to pick the bulk of his first-choice side, which looked decidedly lethargic as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he said.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Team Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The manager must juggle his ambition to win a second major trophy with extreme pragmatism. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that cup tie but was compelled to bring on his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up 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-game unbeaten streak versus Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and two in a later league win before suffering a serious knee injury, is expected to begin for the first time since then setback. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're accustomed to it," said Arteta on the congested fixture list. "In my view this week was the only full week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is will be like this. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be ready."

With key players coming back from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal present a daunting test for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the festive schedule ramps up.