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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a quiet few days with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the season—a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. However, the suggestion that Palace might prioritize other competitions was quickly rejected by their boss.

"No, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner following his team's side's four-one defeat to Leeds. "If somebody informs me that we lose on purpose, the following day I'm no longer the coach anymore."

There exists a marked contrast in Glasner's approach to domestic cup competitions versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's journey to the League Cup last eight in his debut complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner picked his strongest side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight tie ended in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at half-time. Now, Glasner must devise a strategy for revenge versus the present Premier League leaders in a match that was moved to this week owing to European obligations.

The Cost of Success and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own success. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final has brought the challenges of European football for the first time. These demands are taking a toll on several fatigued squad members, many of whom have barely had a rest all season.

The manager fielded an entirely different lineup, including four youngsters, in their last Conference League fixture. However, ahead of the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to choose the bulk of his preferred team, which appeared extremely lethargic as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Team Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The boss must juggle his desire to win a another major trophy with extreme practicality. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that cup match but was compelled to introduce his "key players" following the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game winning run versus Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and a brace in a subsequent league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, is expected to begin for the first time since then setback. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're used to it," said Arteta on the congested schedule. "In my view this week was the only complete week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is going to be similar. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the last four of a competition so we will be ready."

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