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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a quiet period with his family in Austria before Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the campaign—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. However, the suggestion that Palace might prioritize other tournaments was firmly rejected by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," declared Glasner after his team's side's four-one defeat to Leeds. "Should somebody tells me that we are defeated deliberately, the next day I'm no longer the coach anymore."

There exists a clear difference in Glasner's strategy to domestic cup tournaments relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's run to the League Cup quarter-finals in his debut complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had already been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner fielded his best lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final match ended in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at the interval. Now, Glasner must devise a strategy for payback versus the present Premier League leaders in a match that was moved to this week because of European commitments.

A Price of Achievement and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has ushered in the rigors of continental football for the very first time. These pressures are taking a toll on several fatigued players, many of whom have hardly had a rest all term.

The coach selected an entirely changed team, featuring four youngsters, in their final Conference League fixture. However, ahead of the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "no option" but to select the bulk of his first-choice team, which appeared extremely lethargic as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he stated.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Selection Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The manager must juggle his ambition to win a another major trophy with considerable pragmatism. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had made several changes for that League Cup match but was compelled to bring on his "key players" following the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match winning streak versus Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and a brace in a subsequent league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, is expected to begin for the first since that setback. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We are used to it," said Arteta on the congested schedule. "I think this week was the sole complete week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is will be similar. We have a beautiful chance to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be prepared."

With key players coming back from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal pose a formidable test for a Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the festive period intensifies.