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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a quiet period with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth match of the campaign—a Carabao Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. However, the notion that Palace could focus on other tournaments was firmly rejected by their head coach.

"No, I don't think so," remarked Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 hammering to Leeds. "If somebody tells me that we are defeated on purpose, the next day I'm no longer the manager anymore."

There is a marked contrast in Glasner's approach to cup tournaments relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's run to the League Cup quarter-finals in his debut complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the team had already been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner selected his best lineup for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight tie ended in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a somewhat debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at half-time. Now, Glasner must figure out a plan for revenge versus the current Premier League leaders in a match that was rescheduled to this week owing to European obligations.

A Cost of Success and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own success. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the challenges of continental football for the first time. These pressures are catching up with several exhausted squad members, many of whom have hardly had a break all season.

The manager deployed an entirely changed team, including four teenagers, in their last Conference League match. However, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to choose the bulk of his first-choice side, which looked decidedly lethargic as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he said.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Team Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The manager must balance his desire to win a second major trophy with considerable practicality. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus 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 "big-hitters" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match unbeaten run against Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and two in a later league win before suffering a serious knee injury, looks set to begin 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're used to it," commented Arteta on the congested fixture list. "I think this week was the only full week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is going to be like this. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be prepared."

With key players returning from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal present a formidable test for a Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the festive period intensifies.