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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a restful few days with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the campaign—a Carabao Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. However, the notion that Palace might prioritize other tournaments was swiftly dismissed by their head coach.

"No, I don't think so," stated Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 hammering to Leeds. "Should somebody informs me that we are defeated on purpose, the next day I'm not the manager anymore."

There is a marked contrast in Glasner's approach to cup competitions compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's journey to the League Cup last eight in his debut complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the team had already been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner picked his first-choice lineup for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final tie concluded in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a slightly debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at half-time. Now, Glasner must devise a strategy for revenge against the present Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week because of European commitments.

The Cost of Success and European Exhaustion

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

The coach selected an completely different team, featuring four youngsters, in their final Conference League fixture. Yet, for the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "no option" but to pick the bulk of his first-choice side, which appeared extremely jaded as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he stated.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Team Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The manager must balance his desire to win a another major trophy with considerable pragmatism. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had made several changes for that cup match but was forced to bring on his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game unbeaten streak against Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and two in a subsequent league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, is expected to begin for the first since then setback. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the congested fixture list. "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 chance to go into the last four of a competition so we will be ready."

Amid important players returning from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal present a daunting test for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the holiday period ramps up.