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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a quiet few days with his family in Austria before Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth match of the season—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace might focus on other competitions was firmly dismissed by their manager.

"No, I don't think so," stated Glasner following his team's side's four-one hammering to Leeds. "If anyone informs me that we lose deliberately, the next day I'm no longer the manager anymore."

There is a marked contrast in Glasner's strategy to domestic cup tournaments relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his debut full season in command. Under Hodgson, the team had already been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner fielded his first-choice side for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a encounter with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight match ended in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, following a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must figure out a plan for revenge against the current Premier League pace-setters in a match that was rescheduled to this week because of European obligations.

The Cost of Success and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the demands of European football for the first time. These pressures are taking a toll on some weary squad members, many of whom have hardly had a rest all term.

The manager deployed an entirely different lineup, including four youngsters, in their last Conference League fixture. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to pick the bulk of his first-choice side, which appeared extremely lethargic as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Perspective and Selection Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The manager must balance his desire to win a another major trophy with considerable pragmatism. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had made several changes for that League Cup match 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 "furious" 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, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and a brace in a subsequent league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, looks set to begin for the first since then setback. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

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

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