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

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," stated Glasner after his team's side's four-one loss to Leeds. "If somebody informs me that we lose on purpose, the following day I'm not the manager any more."

There is a marked contrast in Glasner's strategy to cup tournaments relative to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's journey to the League Cup last eight in his debut full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had already been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner picked his strongest team for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight match ended in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, following a slightly debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at the interval. Now, Glasner must figure out a strategy for payback versus the present Premier League leaders in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week owing to European obligations.

The Cost of Achievement and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the demands of continental football for the very first time. These pressures are catching up with several exhausted squad members, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a break all term.

The coach deployed an entirely changed side, featuring four youngsters, in their last Conference League fixture. However, for the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to choose the bulk of his first-choice side, which appeared decidedly jaded as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Selection Considerations

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

Arteta had made several changes for that cup tie but was forced to introduce his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a decisive goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game unbeaten run versus Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and a brace in a later league win before suffering a serious knee injury, looks set to begin for the first since then setback. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are accustomed to it," said Arteta on the busy schedule. "In my view this week was the only complete week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is going to be similar. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be ready."

With key players returning from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal present a formidable challenge for a Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the holiday schedule intensifies.