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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a quiet few days with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th game of the campaign—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace might focus on other tournaments was quickly dismissed by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner after his team's side's four-one hammering to Leeds. "If somebody informs me that we lose deliberately, the next day I'm not the coach anymore."

There exists a stark contrast in Glasner's strategy to cup competitions relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup last eight in his first complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner selected his strongest side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a encounter with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final tie ended in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, due to a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a plan for revenge against the current Premier League leaders in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week because of European commitments.

A Price of Achievement and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own success. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has brought the demands of continental football for the very first time. These pressures are catching up with some weary squad members, many of whom have hardly had a rest all term.

The manager fielded an entirely different lineup, including four youngsters, in their final Conference League fixture. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "no option" but to select the bulk of his first-choice side, which looked decidedly jaded as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he said.

Arsenal's Perspective and Team Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The manager must balance his desire to win a second major trophy with considerable practicality. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that League Cup tie but was forced to introduce his "key players" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game unbeaten streak against Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and two in a subsequent league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, is expected to start for the first time since then injury. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We are used to it," commented Arteta on the congested fixture list. "I think this week was the only full week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is will be like this. We have a wonderful chance to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be ready."

With key 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 schedule ramps up.