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

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," stated Glasner following his team's side's four-one defeat to Leeds. "Should anyone tells me that we lose on purpose, the next day I'm not the coach anymore."

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 Carabao Cup last eight in his first complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the club 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 first-choice lineup for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight match concluded in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a somewhat controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at the interval. Now, Glasner now faces the task to devise a strategy for revenge against the present Premier League pace-setters in a match that was moved to this week owing to European commitments.

The Price of Success and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the rigors of continental football for the first time. These demands are catching up with several exhausted squad members, many of whom have barely had a rest all term.

The manager selected an completely changed side, featuring four youngsters, in their final Conference League match. However, for the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to select the bulk of his preferred side, which looked decidedly lethargic as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Selection Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The manager must balance his desire to win a another major trophy with extreme practicality. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that cup tie but was compelled to introduce his "key players" following the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "incensed" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game unbeaten streak versus Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and a brace in a later league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, looks set to begin for the first since then injury. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're accustomed to it," commented 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 going to be like this. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be ready."

With important players coming back from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal pose a daunting test for a Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the holiday period intensifies.