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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a restful period with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth fixture of the season—a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace might prioritize other tournaments was firmly rejected by their head coach.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," stated Glasner after his team's side's four-one hammering to Leeds. "If anyone informs me that we lose deliberately, the next day I'm not the manager anymore."

There is a stark difference in Glasner's philosophy to cup tournaments versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's journey to the League Cup quarter-finals in his debut full season in command. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner fielded his first-choice team for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final match concluded in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, due to a slightly controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at the interval. Now, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a plan for revenge versus the current Premier League leaders in a match that was moved to this week because of European obligations.

The Price of Achievement and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the rigors of continental football for the first time. These demands are catching up with several weary players, many of whom have barely enjoyed a rest all season.

The coach fielded an completely different side, including four youngsters, in their final Conference League fixture. However, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to select the majority of his preferred team, which appeared decidedly lethargic as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he stated.

The Gunners' Perspective and Selection Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The boss must juggle his desire to win a another major trophy with considerable pragmatism. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that cup tie but was compelled to introduce his "key players" after the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a decisive goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match unbeaten streak against 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 long-term knee injury, is expected to begin for the first time since that injury. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the congested schedule. "I think this week was the only complete week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is will be like this. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be ready."

Amid important players coming back from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal present a daunting challenge for a Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the festive period ramps up.