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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a quiet period 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 suggestion that Palace might focus on other tournaments was firmly dismissed by their boss.

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

There exists a clear difference in Glasner's approach to domestic cup competitions compared to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup last eight in his debut full season in command. Under Hodgson, the club had already been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner selected his strongest side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a showdown with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final tie concluded in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a slightly controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to devise a strategy for revenge against the present Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was moved to this week because of European commitments.

The Price of Achievement and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the rigors of European football for the first time. These pressures are taking a toll on some fatigued squad members, many of whom have barely enjoyed a rest all season.

The coach selected an entirely different lineup, featuring four youngsters, in their last Conference League fixture. Yet, for the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to choose the majority of his preferred side, which appeared decidedly jaded as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

Arsenal's Perspective and Team Dilemmas

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

Arteta had made a number of changes for that League Cup match but was compelled to introduce his "key players" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a decisive goal in a move that left Glasner "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will repeat 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 a brace in a later league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, looks set to begin for the first time since then injury. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the congested schedule. "In my view this week was the sole complete week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is going to be similar. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be prepared."

Amid key players coming back from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal present a daunting test for a Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the festive schedule ramps up.