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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a restful period with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth match of the season—a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace might focus on other competitions was quickly dismissed by their head coach.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," stated Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 loss to Leeds. "If anyone informs me that we lose deliberately, the following day I'm not the manager any more."

There exists a marked contrast in Glasner's strategy to cup competitions relative to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup last eight in his first complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner fielded his best lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final match concluded in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a somewhat controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to devise a strategy for payback versus the present Premier League pace-setters in a match that was moved to this week because of European commitments.

The Cost of Success and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the challenges of continental football for the very first time. These pressures are taking a toll on some weary players, many of whom have barely had a rest all season.

The coach deployed an entirely different lineup, including four teenagers, in their last Conference League fixture. However, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to select the majority of his preferred side, which looked extremely lethargic as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he affirmed.

Arsenal's Perspective and Selection Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The manager must balance his ambition to win a another major trophy with extreme pragmatism. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that cup match but was compelled to introduce his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a move 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 run against Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and a brace in a subsequent league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, is expected to begin for the first since that setback. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the busy fixture list. "In my view this week was the only complete week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is going to be like this. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be prepared."

With key players returning from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal present a daunting challenge for a Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the festive period intensifies.