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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a restful few days with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth match of the campaign—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace could focus on other competitions was swiftly dismissed by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," declared Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "Should somebody tells me that we lose deliberately, the following day I'm not the coach any more."

There exists a stark contrast in Glasner's philosophy to domestic cup tournaments compared to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's run to the League Cup quarter-finals in his debut full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had already been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner picked his best side for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight tie ended in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at half-time. Now, Glasner must devise a plan for payback versus the current Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week owing to European commitments.

The Price of Achievement and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own success. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the challenges of European football for the very first time. These pressures are taking a toll on some fatigued squad members, many of whom have hardly had a rest all term.

The coach selected an completely changed lineup, featuring four teenagers, in their final Conference League fixture. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "no option" but to select the majority of his first-choice side, which looked extremely lethargic as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he stated.

Arsenal's Perspective and Team Dilemmas

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

Arteta had made a number of changes for that cup match but was compelled to introduce his "key players" following the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game unbeaten run against Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and two in a subsequent league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, looks set to begin for the first since that injury. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the busy fixture list. "I think this week was the only complete week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is will be like this. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be prepared."

Amid important players returning from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal present a formidable test for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the festive schedule intensifies.