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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a restful period with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth game of the campaign—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. However, the notion that Palace might focus on other competitions was swiftly rejected by their head coach.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner after his team's side's four-one loss to Leeds. "Should anyone tells me that we are defeated on purpose, the following day I'm not the coach anymore."

There is a marked contrast in Glasner's approach to cup competitions relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's run to the League Cup last eight in his debut complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had already been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner picked his best side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a encounter with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final tie concluded in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a slightly debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at half-time. Now, Glasner must figure out a plan for revenge versus the current Premier League leaders in a fixture that was moved to this week owing to European commitments.

The Cost of Success and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty 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 pressures are catching up with several weary players, many of whom have hardly had a rest all term.

The coach deployed an completely different side, including four teenagers, in their final Conference League match. However, ahead of the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "no option" but to select the bulk of his first-choice side, which looked extremely lethargic as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he stated.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Team Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The boss must juggle his ambition to win a another major trophy with considerable pragmatism. 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 hopes.

Arteta had made several changes for that League Cup match but was forced to bring on 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 "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game winning run against Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and a brace in a subsequent league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, looks set to begin for the first since that injury. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're used to it," commented Arteta on the congested schedule. "I think this week was the sole full week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is going to be like this. We have a wonderful chance to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be prepared."

Amid key players coming back from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal pose a formidable test for a Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the festive schedule ramps up.