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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a quiet few days with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the season—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. However, the idea that Palace could prioritize other competitions was firmly rejected by their manager.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," declared Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 hammering to Leeds. "Should anyone informs me that we lose deliberately, the next day I'm no longer the manager any more."

There exists a marked difference in Glasner's approach to domestic cup tournaments versus his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's run to the League Cup quarter-finals in his debut full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner selected his best side for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight tie concluded in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a somewhat debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at the interval. Now, Glasner must devise a strategy for revenge versus the current Premier League leaders in a match that was rescheduled to this week owing to European obligations.

A Price of Success and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own success. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the rigors of continental football for the first time. These pressures are taking a toll on several fatigued players, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a break all season.

The manager deployed an completely changed lineup, featuring four youngsters, in their final Conference League match. However, ahead of the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to select the majority of his preferred team, which looked decidedly jaded as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he said.

Arsenal's Perspective and Team Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The manager must balance his desire to win a another major trophy with considerable practicality. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had made several changes for that 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 decisive goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match winning streak against Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and a brace in a later league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, is expected to start for the first time since then injury. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are used to it," commented Arteta on the congested schedule. "In my view this week was the sole full week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is going to be similar. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the last four of a competition so we will be prepared."

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