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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a restful period with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the campaign—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace could focus on other competitions was firmly dismissed by their manager.

"No, I do not believe that," declared Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 hammering to Leeds. "If somebody informs me that we lose deliberately, the next day I'm not the coach anymore."

There exists a marked contrast in Glasner's strategy to domestic cup tournaments versus his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup last eight in his debut complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner picked his first-choice team for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a encounter with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight match ended in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a slightly 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 pace-setters in a match that was rescheduled to this week owing to European commitments.

A Price of Achievement and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the challenges of European football for the first time. These pressures are catching up with several weary players, many of whom have hardly had a rest all term.

The coach deployed an entirely changed lineup, including four teenagers, in their last Conference League fixture. Yet, for the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to select the bulk of his preferred side, which looked extremely jaded as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he said.

The Gunners' Perspective and Team Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The manager must balance his desire to win a another major trophy with considerable practicality. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that League Cup tie but was compelled to introduce his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a decisive goal in a move 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 winning streak versus Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting 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 disclosed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

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

Amid important players returning from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal present a daunting test for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the holiday schedule intensifies.