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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a quiet few days with his family in Austria before Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth match of the campaign—a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. However, the idea that Palace might focus on other competitions was swiftly rejected by their boss.

"No, I don't think so," stated Glasner after his team's side's four-one hammering to Leeds. "Should anyone tells me that we lose deliberately, the next day I'm not the manager anymore."

There exists a marked contrast in Glasner's approach to domestic cup tournaments relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's run to the League Cup quarter-finals in his debut complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner fielded his strongest side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a encounter with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight match concluded in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a slightly controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at half-time. Now, Glasner must figure out a plan for payback versus the current Premier League leaders in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week owing to European commitments.

The Cost of Achievement and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the rigors of continental football for the very first time. These demands are taking a toll on several weary players, many of whom have barely enjoyed a break all season.

The manager selected an completely changed side, including four teenagers, in their final Conference League match. Yet, for the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "no option" but to pick the majority of his preferred team, which appeared extremely lethargic as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Team Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The manager must juggle his ambition to win a another major trophy with considerable practicality. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that League Cup tie but was forced to introduce his "key players" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a decisive goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game winning run against Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and two in a later league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, is expected to start for the first since then setback. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We are used to it," commented Arteta on the busy schedule. "In my view this week was the sole full week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is going to be similar. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be ready."

Amid key players returning from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal pose a daunting challenge for a Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the holiday schedule ramps up.