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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 29th fixture of the campaign—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace might prioritize other tournaments was firmly rejected by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," declared Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 loss to Leeds. "Should somebody informs me that we lose on purpose, the next day I'm not the manager anymore."

There is a stark contrast in Glasner's approach to cup tournaments compared to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's journey to the League Cup last eight in his debut complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had already been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner selected his strongest lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight match ended in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, due to a rather debated 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 against the current Premier League leaders in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week owing to European commitments.

The Cost of Success and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the demands of continental football for the very first time. These demands are taking a toll on several weary squad members, many of whom have barely enjoyed a break all season.

The manager fielded an entirely changed lineup, including four teenagers, in their last Conference League fixture. However, for the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to select the majority of his preferred side, which looked extremely jaded as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Team Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The boss must juggle his desire to win a another major trophy with considerable pragmatism. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that League Cup match but was compelled to bring on his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match winning run against Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and a brace in a subsequent league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, is expected to start for the first since that setback. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're used to it," said Arteta on the busy schedule. "In my view this week was the sole full week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is going to be similar. We have a beautiful chance to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be ready."

With important players returning from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal pose a formidable test for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the festive period intensifies.