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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a restful few days with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth fixture of the campaign—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. However, the idea that Palace might prioritize other tournaments was quickly rejected by their manager.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," stated Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 loss to Leeds. "Should anyone informs me that we lose on purpose, the next day I'm not the manager any more."

There exists a stark contrast in Glasner's strategy to domestic cup competitions relative to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup last eight in his debut full season in charge. 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 picked his first-choice team for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final tie concluded in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a slightly controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at half-time. Now, Glasner must devise a plan for payback against the current Premier League leaders in a fixture that was moved to this week owing to European obligations.

A Cost of Success and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own success. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has ushered in the demands of European football for the very first time. These demands are catching up with some exhausted squad members, many of whom have hardly had a break all term.

The manager selected an completely different team, featuring four youngsters, in their final Conference League fixture. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to select the majority of his first-choice side, which looked decidedly lethargic as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he affirmed.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Selection Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The boss must juggle his desire to win a second major trophy with considerable practicality. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had made several changes for that League Cup tie but was compelled to introduce his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka was introduced from 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 in operation—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match unbeaten run against Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and a brace in a subsequent league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, is expected to start for the first time since that setback. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are accustomed to it," said Arteta on the busy schedule. "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 chance to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be ready."

With key players returning from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal pose a daunting test for a Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the holiday schedule intensifies.