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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a quiet period with his family in Austria before Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth fixture of the campaign—a Carabao Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. However, the suggestion that Palace might focus on other tournaments was swiftly dismissed by their manager.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner after his team's side's four-one defeat to Leeds. "Should anyone informs me that we are defeated deliberately, the following day I'm no longer the coach any more."

There exists a stark difference in Glasner's philosophy to domestic cup tournaments compared to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's run to the League Cup last eight in his first full season in command. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner picked his best side for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight 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 half-time. Now, Glasner now faces the task to devise a strategy for payback versus the current Premier League leaders in a match that was moved to this week because of European commitments.

A Price of Success and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has ushered in the demands of continental football for the very first time. These pressures are catching up with some weary squad members, many of whom have barely enjoyed a break all term.

The coach deployed an completely different side, featuring four teenagers, in their last Conference League fixture. However, for the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "no option" but to select the majority of his preferred side, which looked extremely lethargic as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Selection Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The boss must balance his ambition to win a another major trophy with considerable practicality. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that cup match but was compelled to introduce his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match winning run against Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and two in a later league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, is expected to start for the first time since that setback. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are used to it," said Arteta on the congested fixture list. "I think this week was the only full week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is going to be like this. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be prepared."

Amid important players returning from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal pose a daunting challenge for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the festive period ramps up.