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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a quiet few days with his family in Austria before Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the campaign—a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace might prioritize other competitions was firmly dismissed by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," stated Glasner after his team's side's four-one hammering to Leeds. "Should anyone informs me that we lose on purpose, the next day I'm no longer the manager anymore."

There is a marked contrast in Glasner's approach to cup competitions compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's journey to the League Cup quarter-finals 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. In contrast, Glasner picked his best lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final match concluded in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, due to a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at half-time. Now, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a strategy for payback versus the present Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week because of European commitments.

A Price of Achievement and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own success. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the demands of European football for the first time. These pressures are catching up with some fatigued squad members, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a rest all term.

The manager fielded an entirely changed lineup, featuring four teenagers, in their final Conference League match. However, for the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "no option" but to pick the bulk of his first-choice side, which appeared decidedly jaded as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he stated.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Selection Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The boss must balance his desire to win a another major trophy with considerable pragmatism. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that League Cup tie but was compelled to introduce his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka came off the bench to assist 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 unbeaten streak versus Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and a brace in a later league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, looks set to begin for the first time since that injury. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're used to it," said Arteta on the congested fixture list. "In my view this week was the sole complete week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is will be similar. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the last four of a competition so we will be prepared."

Amid important players returning from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal present a formidable test for a Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the festive schedule ramps up.