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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a quiet period with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the campaign—a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. However, the notion that Palace could prioritize other competitions was quickly dismissed by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," declared Glasner following his team's side's four-one hammering to Leeds. "If somebody informs me that we lose on purpose, the following day I'm no longer the coach any more."

There exists a stark 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 first full season 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 assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner fielded his best lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight match concluded in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must figure out a strategy for payback against the present Premier League leaders in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week because of European obligations.

A Price of Achievement and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own success. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has ushered in the rigors of European football for the very first time. These demands are taking a toll on several exhausted squad members, many of whom have hardly had a break all term.

The manager selected an completely different lineup, featuring four youngsters, in their last Conference League fixture. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "no option" but to choose the majority of his preferred team, which looked extremely lethargic as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Perspective and Team Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The boss must juggle his ambition to win a another major trophy with extreme practicality. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that League Cup match but was forced to introduce his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a decisive 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 winning run against Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and a brace in a later league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, is expected to start for the first since that injury. 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 schedule. "I think this week was the sole complete week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is going to be like this. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be prepared."

Amid key players coming back from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal pose a daunting challenge for a Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the holiday period intensifies.