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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a quiet few days with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth fixture of the season—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace could prioritize other tournaments was firmly rejected by their manager.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 loss to Leeds. "If anyone informs me that we lose on purpose, the next day I'm not the manager any more."

There is a marked contrast in Glasner's approach to domestic cup competitions relative to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his debut complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner fielded his first-choice team for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a encounter with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight tie ended in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, following a somewhat controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at the interval. Now, Glasner must devise a strategy for payback against the present Premier League leaders in a match that was rescheduled to this week because of European commitments.

The Cost of Success and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has ushered in the rigors of continental football for the very first time. These demands are catching up with several fatigued players, many of whom have hardly had a break all term.

The manager deployed an completely different side, including four youngsters, in their last Conference League fixture. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to choose the majority of his first-choice side, which looked extremely jaded as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he stated.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Selection Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The manager must juggle his desire to win a another major trophy with considerable practicality. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that cup tie but was compelled to bring on his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a decisive goal in a move that left Glasner "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game winning streak against Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and two in a later league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, looks set to start for the first time since that setback. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are accustomed to it," said Arteta on the congested fixture list. "I think this week was the sole full week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is will be similar. We have a wonderful chance to go into the last four of a competition so we will be ready."

Amid important players coming back from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal pose a daunting challenge for a Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the festive period intensifies.