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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a restful few days with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth game of the campaign—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. However, the suggestion that Palace could focus on other competitions was firmly dismissed by their manager.

"No, I don't think so," stated Glasner after his team's side's four-one loss to Leeds. "If somebody tells me that we are defeated on purpose, the following day I'm no longer the manager any more."

There exists a stark contrast in Glasner's philosophy to domestic cup tournaments compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his first complete campaign 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 selected his strongest lineup for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final match concluded in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to 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 present Premier League leaders in a match that was rescheduled to this week because of European commitments.

A Cost of Success and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the rigors of continental football for the first time. These pressures are taking a toll on several exhausted players, many of whom have barely enjoyed a break all season.

The coach selected an completely changed lineup, including four teenagers, in their final Conference League fixture. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to choose the majority of his first-choice team, which appeared extremely jaded as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

Arsenal's Perspective and Selection Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The manager must balance his desire to win a another major trophy with considerable pragmatism. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that cup match but was compelled to introduce his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a decisive goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match unbeaten streak against Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and a brace in a subsequent league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, looks set to begin for the first time since then injury. Arteta revealed the striker 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. "In my view this week was the only complete week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is going to be like this. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be prepared."

Amid key players coming back from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal pose a formidable challenge for a Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the festive period intensifies.