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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a quiet period with his family in Austria before Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th game of the season—a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. However, the idea that Palace might prioritize other competitions was swiftly dismissed by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," stated Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "Should anyone tells me that we are defeated deliberately, the following day I'm no longer the manager any more."

There is a stark difference in Glasner's strategy to cup competitions versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his first full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner selected his best side for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a showdown with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final tie ended in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, due to a slightly controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to devise a plan for revenge versus the current Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was moved to this week owing to European commitments.

The Price of Achievement and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own success. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the challenges of continental football for the first time. These pressures are taking a toll on some weary squad members, many of whom have hardly had a rest all season.

The coach fielded an completely different team, including four youngsters, in their last Conference League match. Yet, for the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "no option" but to select the majority of his preferred team, which looked decidedly jaded as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he stated.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Selection Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The manager must juggle his desire to win a another major trophy with extreme practicality. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented 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 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 situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match winning streak versus Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and a brace in a subsequent league win before suffering a serious knee injury, looks set to start for the first since then setback. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the busy schedule. "In my view this week was the only full week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is going to be similar. We have a wonderful chance to go into the last four of a competition so we will be ready."

Amid key players returning from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal pose a daunting test for a Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the festive period ramps up.