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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a quiet few days with his family in Austria before Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the campaign—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace could prioritize other competitions was swiftly rejected by their manager.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," stated Glasner after his team's side's four-one hammering to Leeds. "Should anyone informs me that we lose on purpose, the next day I'm no longer the coach any more."

There is a stark difference in Glasner's philosophy to domestic cup competitions 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 club had previously been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner fielded his strongest side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final match concluded in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a slightly debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must figure out a plan for revenge versus the present Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week owing to European obligations.

A Cost of Achievement and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the demands of European football for the first time. These pressures are catching up with several weary squad members, many of whom have hardly had a rest all season.

The manager fielded an entirely different lineup, featuring four youngsters, in their final Conference League fixture. Yet, for the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to choose the majority of his first-choice side, which appeared decidedly jaded as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he stated.

The Gunners' Perspective and Team Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The boss must juggle his ambition to win a another major trophy with extreme practicality. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that League Cup tie but was forced to bring on his "key players" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a decisive goal in a passage of play 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 streak against Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and two in a subsequent league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, looks set 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," commented Arteta on the congested schedule. "I think this week was the only full week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is going to be like this. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be prepared."

With key players coming back from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal present a formidable challenge for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the holiday schedule ramps up.