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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a quiet few days with his family in Austria before Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth match of the season—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace might prioritize other tournaments was firmly rejected by their boss.

"No, I do not believe that," stated Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 hammering to Leeds. "Should anyone tells me that we lose deliberately, the next day I'm not the coach any more."

There is a clear contrast in Glasner's philosophy to domestic cup competitions relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup last eight in his first complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner selected his strongest side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final match concluded in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, following a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at the interval. Now, Glasner must devise a strategy for revenge against the present Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week because of European obligations.

A Price of Achievement and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the rigors of European football for the first time. These demands are catching up with several exhausted players, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a rest all term.

The coach fielded an entirely changed lineup, featuring four youngsters, in their last Conference League match. Yet, for the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to choose the majority of his preferred team, which looked decidedly jaded as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he said.

The Gunners' Perspective and Team Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The boss must balance his desire to win a another major trophy with extreme pragmatism. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had made several changes for that cup tie but was forced to bring on his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "incensed" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game unbeaten streak versus Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and a brace in a later league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, is expected to start for the first since then setback. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the busy schedule. "I think this week was the only complete week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is going to be like this. We have a wonderful chance to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be prepared."

Amid key players coming back from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal pose a daunting test for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the holiday schedule intensifies.