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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a restful period with his family in Austria before Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth match of the campaign—a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. However, the suggestion that Palace could focus on other competitions was quickly dismissed by their head coach.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," stated Glasner after his team's side's four-one defeat to Leeds. "Should somebody informs me that we are defeated on purpose, the next day I'm no longer the manager anymore."

There is a marked difference in Glasner's approach to cup competitions relative to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's run to the League Cup last eight in his first full season in command. 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 fielded his strongest side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight match ended in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, following a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at the interval. Now, Glasner now faces the task to devise a strategy for payback versus the present Premier League leaders in a match that was rescheduled to this week because of European obligations.

The Price of Success and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own success. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has ushered in the demands of continental football for the first time. These demands are catching up with some weary players, many of whom have hardly had a break all term.

The manager selected an entirely different lineup, featuring four teenagers, in their final Conference League match. However, for the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to choose the bulk of his preferred team, which appeared extremely jaded as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Perspective and Team Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The boss must juggle his desire to win a another major trophy with considerable practicality. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that League Cup tie but was forced to bring on his "key players" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.

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

"We are accustomed to it," said Arteta on the busy schedule. "In my view this week was the only full week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is will be similar. We have a wonderful chance to go into the last four of a competition so we will be prepared."

With key players returning from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal pose a daunting challenge for a Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the holiday period ramps up.