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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a restful few days with his family in Austria before Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the season—a Carabao Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. However, the idea that Palace could prioritize other tournaments was swiftly dismissed by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner following his team's side's four-one loss to Leeds. "If anyone informs me that we lose deliberately, the next day I'm not the coach any more."

There is a marked difference in Glasner's approach to cup tournaments versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident 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 selected his best side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight tie concluded in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a slightly debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must figure out a strategy for revenge against the present Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week owing to European obligations.

A Price of Achievement and Continental Exhaustion

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 brought the demands of European football for the first time. These demands are catching up with several exhausted players, many of whom have barely had a rest all term.

The manager deployed an completely different side, including four youngsters, in their last Conference League match. However, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to pick the majority of his preferred side, which looked decidedly jaded as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he stated.

Arsenal's Perspective and Team Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The boss must balance his desire to win a another major trophy with extreme pragmatism. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had made several changes for that League Cup tie but was forced to introduce his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match unbeaten streak versus Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and two in a later league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, looks set to start for the first time since that injury. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're accustomed to it," said Arteta on the busy fixture list. "I think this week was the only full week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is will be similar. We have a beautiful chance to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be prepared."

Amid important players coming back from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal pose a daunting challenge for a Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the festive schedule intensifies.