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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a restful period with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the season—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. Yet, the notion that Palace could prioritize other competitions was quickly dismissed by their manager.

"No, I do not believe that," declared Glasner following his team's side's four-one hammering to Leeds. "Should somebody informs me that we are defeated deliberately, the following day I'm not the manager anymore."

There is a marked difference in Glasner's approach 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 command. Under Hodgson, the club had already been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner selected his best lineup for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a encounter with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final match ended in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, following a slightly debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at the interval. Now, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a strategy for revenge against the present Premier League pace-setters in a match that was moved to this week owing to European obligations.

The Cost of Success and European Fatigue

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

The manager deployed an completely different team, featuring four youngsters, in their final Conference League fixture. Yet, for the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "no option" but to choose the majority of his preferred side, which appeared extremely lethargic as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he stated.

Arsenal's Perspective and Selection Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The boss must juggle his ambition to win a second major trophy with extreme pragmatism. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had made several changes for that League Cup tie but was compelled to bring on his "key players" after the break. Saka was introduced from 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 available—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match unbeaten run versus Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and two in a later league win before suffering a serious knee injury, looks set to begin for the first time since then injury. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We are used to it," said Arteta on the busy schedule. "I think 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 wonderful chance to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be ready."

With important players coming back from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal present a formidable challenge for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the festive period intensifies.