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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a restful period with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth fixture of the season—a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace might prioritize other competitions was swiftly rejected by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," remarked Glasner following his team's side's four-one loss to Leeds. "Should anyone tells me that we lose on purpose, the next day I'm no longer the coach any more."

There is a marked contrast in Glasner's philosophy to domestic cup competitions compared to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup last eight in his debut full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner fielded his best lineup for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final tie ended in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, due to a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at half-time. Now, Glasner must devise a plan for payback versus the current Premier League pace-setters in a match that was rescheduled to this week owing to European obligations.

The Cost of Achievement and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own success. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the demands of European football for the very first time. These pressures are taking a toll on several weary players, many of whom have barely enjoyed a break all term.

The manager deployed an entirely different side, featuring four teenagers, in their final Conference League match. Yet, for the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to pick the bulk of his first-choice team, which appeared decidedly lethargic as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he stated.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Selection Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The boss must juggle his desire to win a another major trophy with extreme pragmatism. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had made several changes for that League Cup match but was forced to bring on 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 "incensed" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match unbeaten streak versus Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and two in a later league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, looks set to start for the first time since that injury. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are used to it," commented Arteta on the busy schedule. "I think this week was the sole full week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is going to be like this. We have a beautiful chance to go into the last four of a competition so we will be ready."

With key players coming back from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal present a formidable test for a Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the holiday period ramps up.