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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a restful few days with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth game of the campaign—a Carabao Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace might focus on other tournaments was swiftly rejected by their manager.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," remarked Glasner after his team's side's four-one loss to Leeds. "If somebody informs me that we lose deliberately, the following day I'm not the coach anymore."

There exists a clear difference in Glasner's approach to domestic cup tournaments compared to his forerunner, 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 eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner picked his strongest lineup for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight tie ended in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a slightly debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at the interval. Now, Glasner now faces the task to devise a strategy for revenge versus the current Premier League pace-setters in a match that was rescheduled to this week because of European commitments.

The Price of Achievement and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the rigors of continental football for the very first time. These pressures are taking a toll on some exhausted players, many of whom have barely enjoyed a rest all season.

The manager deployed an completely different lineup, including four youngsters, in their last Conference League match. However, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to select the majority of his preferred team, which appeared decidedly lethargic as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he said.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Team Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The manager must balance his desire to win a another major trophy with considerable pragmatism. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that cup tie but was compelled to bring on his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a decisive goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

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

"We're accustomed to it," said Arteta on the congested fixture list. "In my view this week was the sole full week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is will be similar. 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 challenge for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the festive period intensifies.