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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a quiet few days with his family in Austria before Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th game of the season—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. However, the notion that Palace might focus on other tournaments was swiftly rejected by their boss.

"No, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 hammering to Leeds. "If anyone informs me that we lose deliberately, the following day I'm not the manager any more."

There exists a stark contrast in Glasner's strategy to cup tournaments versus his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his first full season in command. Under Hodgson, the club had already been eliminated from both 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, setting up a showdown with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight match concluded in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, following a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to devise a strategy for revenge against the current Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was moved to this week owing to European commitments.

The Price of Achievement and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own success. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the demands of European football for the first time. These pressures are catching up with several fatigued players, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a break all term.

The coach selected an entirely changed lineup, featuring four teenagers, in their last Conference League match. However, for the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to pick the bulk of his first-choice team, which looked decidedly jaded as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he said.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Selection Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The boss must balance his ambition to win a second major trophy with extreme practicality. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that cup match but was forced to introduce his "key players" 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 possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match winning run against Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and a brace in a subsequent league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, looks set to start for the first time since that injury. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are used to it," commented Arteta on the congested fixture list. "In my view this week was the sole full week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is going to be similar. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be prepared."

With important players returning from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal pose a formidable test for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the festive schedule ramps up.