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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a quiet period with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th game of the campaign—a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace might focus on other tournaments was quickly dismissed by their boss.

"No, I do not believe that," declared Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 loss to Leeds. "Should somebody informs me that we lose on purpose, the following day I'm not the manager anymore."

There exists a stark contrast in Glasner's approach to domestic cup tournaments compared to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's journey to the League Cup quarter-finals in his debut 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 took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner fielded his strongest lineup for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final tie ended in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a slightly debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to devise a plan for revenge versus the current Premier League pace-setters in a match that was moved to this week because of European obligations.

The Price of Achievement and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has ushered in the rigors of European football for the first time. These pressures are taking a toll on several weary players, many of whom have barely had a break all season.

The coach fielded an completely different team, featuring four teenagers, in their final Conference League fixture. However, for the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to choose the majority of his first-choice side, which appeared extremely lethargic as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Selection Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The boss must balance his desire to win a second major trophy with considerable practicality. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had made several changes for that League Cup tie but was compelled to introduce his "key players" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match winning streak versus Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and two in a subsequent league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, is expected to start for the first time since then setback. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the busy schedule. "In my view this week was the sole complete week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is will be like this. We have a wonderful chance to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be ready."

Amid key players coming back from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal present a formidable challenge for a Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the festive period ramps up.