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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a restful few days with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th game of the season—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. However, the suggestion that Palace might prioritize other competitions was quickly dismissed by their head coach.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," remarked Glasner after his team's side's four-one defeat to Leeds. "Should anyone informs me that we are defeated on purpose, the next day I'm no longer the coach any more."

There exists a stark difference in Glasner's strategy to domestic cup tournaments compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his first full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner selected his best side for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight tie concluded in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a slightly debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a plan for payback against the present Premier League pace-setters in a match that was rescheduled to this week owing to European commitments.

A Cost of Achievement and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the challenges of European football for the very first time. These demands are taking a toll on several fatigued players, many of whom have hardly had a break all season.

The manager selected an entirely different side, featuring four youngsters, in their final Conference League match. However, ahead of the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to pick the bulk of his first-choice side, which looked extremely lethargic as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he said.

The Gunners' Perspective and Selection Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The boss must balance his desire to win a second major trophy with extreme practicality. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that League Cup tie but was forced to introduce his "key players" 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 scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game winning run against Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and a brace in a later league win before suffering a serious knee injury, looks set to start for the first time since then setback. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We are used to it," said Arteta on the congested schedule. "In my view this week was the only full week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is going to be like this. We have a beautiful chance to go into the last four of a competition so we will be prepared."

With important players coming back from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal present a formidable test for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the holiday schedule ramps up.