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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a restful few days with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth game of the season—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace might prioritize other competitions was quickly dismissed by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner following his team's side's four-one loss to Leeds. "Should anyone informs me that we lose on purpose, the following day I'm not the manager any more."

There exists a marked difference in Glasner's strategy to cup tournaments versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's journey to the League Cup last eight in his debut full season in command. Under Hodgson, the team had already been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner fielded his best 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 three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, following a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must devise a plan for payback versus the current Premier League leaders in a match that was moved to this week because of European commitments.

A Price of Success and Continental Exhaustion

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

The manager fielded an entirely changed team, including four teenagers, in their last Conference League match. However, for the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "no option" but to pick the bulk of his first-choice team, which looked extremely lethargic as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

Arsenal's Perspective and Team Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The boss must juggle his ambition 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 fightback greatly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that League Cup match but was forced to introduce his "key players" after the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a decisive goal in a move that left Glasner "incensed" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match unbeaten run against Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and a brace in a later league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, looks set to start for the first since then injury. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We are accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the busy schedule. "In my view this week was the sole complete week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is going to be like this. We have a wonderful chance to go into the last four of a competition so we will be ready."

Amid key players coming back from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal pose a daunting test for a Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the festive schedule ramps up.