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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a quiet period with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th game of the season—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace could focus on other competitions was swiftly rejected by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," remarked Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "If somebody tells me that we are defeated deliberately, the following day I'm no longer the coach any more."

There exists a marked contrast in Glasner's strategy to cup competitions versus his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's journey to the League Cup last eight in his first full season in command. Under Hodgson, the club had already been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner fielded his strongest side for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final match concluded in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to devise a plan for payback against the current Premier League leaders in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week because of European commitments.

The Price of Achievement and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own success. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has brought the demands of European football for the very first time. These pressures are taking a toll on some weary players, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a rest all season.

The coach selected an entirely different side, including four teenagers, in their final Conference League fixture. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to pick the majority of his first-choice side, which looked extremely lethargic as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he said.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Selection Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The manager must juggle his desire to win a another major trophy with considerable pragmatism. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that cup tie but was forced to bring on his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match unbeaten run against Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and two in a subsequent league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, is expected to start for the first time since then setback. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're used to it," said Arteta on the congested schedule. "In my view this week was the only full week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is going to be similar. We have a beautiful chance to go into the last four of a competition so we will be ready."

Amid important players returning from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal present a daunting test for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the holiday period intensifies.