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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a restful period with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth game of the campaign—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. However, the idea that Palace could focus on other tournaments was firmly rejected by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "Should anyone informs me that we lose deliberately, the following day I'm no longer the manager anymore."

There is a stark contrast in Glasner's philosophy to domestic cup competitions compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's run to the League Cup last eight in his debut complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had already been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner fielded his best lineup for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final tie ended in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at the interval. Now, Glasner must devise a strategy for payback versus the present Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week owing to European commitments.

A Price of Achievement and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own success. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final has brought the demands of European football for the very first time. These demands are taking a toll on several weary squad members, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a break all term.

The coach deployed an entirely different lineup, featuring four youngsters, in their last Conference League fixture. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "no option" but to choose the bulk of his first-choice side, which looked decidedly jaded as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he stated.

The Gunners' Perspective and Selection Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The manager must balance his desire to win a another major trophy with extreme practicality. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that League Cup match but was forced to bring on his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a decisive goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game winning run versus Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and two in a later league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, looks set to begin for the first since then 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 busy schedule. "I think this week was the only full week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is going to be like this. We have a beautiful chance to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be prepared."

Amid important players coming back from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal present a daunting challenge for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the holiday period intensifies.