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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a restful few days with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth fixture of the campaign—a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace could focus on other competitions was quickly dismissed by their boss.

"No, I do not believe that," declared Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "If anyone informs me that we are defeated on purpose, the following day I'm not the manager anymore."

There is a stark difference in Glasner's philosophy to cup tournaments relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's journey to the League Cup last eight in his debut 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 took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner picked his best side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight match concluded in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at half-time. Now, Glasner must devise a plan for revenge versus the present Premier League leaders in a match that was moved to this week owing to European commitments.

The Price of Success and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the rigors of continental football for the first time. These demands are catching up with several exhausted squad members, many of whom have hardly had a rest all term.

The manager fielded an completely different lineup, featuring four youngsters, in their final Conference League fixture. However, ahead of the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "no option" but to choose the bulk of his preferred team, which looked extremely lethargic as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he said.

The Gunners' Perspective and Team Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The manager must balance his desire to win a another major trophy with extreme pragmatism. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that League Cup tie but was compelled to bring on his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a decisive goal in a move that left Glasner "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game unbeaten streak against Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and two in a later league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, is expected to start for the first since that setback. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are accustomed to it," said Arteta on the congested fixture list. "In my view this week was the only full week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is will be like this. We have a beautiful chance to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be prepared."

With important players coming back 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 period ramps up.