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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a restful period with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth game of the season—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. However, the suggestion that Palace could focus on other tournaments was swiftly rejected by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 hammering to Leeds. "If anyone informs me that we lose on purpose, the next day I'm not the coach anymore."

There exists a marked difference in Glasner's philosophy to cup tournaments versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his debut complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner fielded his best team for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final tie concluded in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, following a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must devise a plan for payback versus the present Premier League pace-setters in a match that was rescheduled to this week owing to European obligations.

The Cost of Success and European Exhaustion

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

The coach fielded an completely changed lineup, featuring four teenagers, in their final Conference League match. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "no option" but to choose the majority of his preferred side, which looked extremely jaded as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he stated.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Team Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The boss must balance his desire to win a another major trophy with extreme practicality. Last year, 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 implemented several changes for that cup match but was forced to introduce his "key players" 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 possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match unbeaten streak versus Palace, including seven wins. 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, is expected to start for the first time since then setback. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're used to it," commented Arteta on the busy fixture list. "In my view this week was the sole full week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is going to be like this. We have a beautiful chance to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be prepared."

With important players returning from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal pose a formidable test for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the holiday schedule intensifies.