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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a quiet period 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 against Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace might focus on other tournaments was swiftly dismissed by their head coach.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 hammering to Leeds. "If somebody tells me that we lose deliberately, the following day I'm no longer the manager anymore."

There exists a clear contrast in Glasner's philosophy to cup tournaments versus his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup last eight in his first complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner selected his strongest lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight tie concluded in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a somewhat controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at the interval. Now, Glasner now faces the task to devise a plan for payback against the current Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week because of European obligations.

The Cost of Success and European Exhaustion

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 challenges of continental football for the first time. These demands are catching up with some weary players, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a rest all season.

The manager fielded an completely different side, featuring four youngsters, in their last Conference League match. However, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to choose the bulk of his preferred team, which looked decidedly jaded as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he said.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Selection Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The manager must juggle his desire to win a another 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 harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that League Cup tie but was forced to introduce his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a decisive 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 winning streak against Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and a brace in a later league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, looks set to start for the first since that injury. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're 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 will be like this. We have a beautiful chance to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be ready."

With important players returning from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal pose a formidable challenge for a Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the holiday schedule ramps up.