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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a restful few days with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth fixture of the season—a Carabao Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. However, the notion that Palace could focus on other tournaments was firmly dismissed by their boss.

"No, I don't think so," stated Glasner after his team's side's four-one defeat to Leeds. "Should anyone informs me that we lose deliberately, the following day I'm no longer the manager anymore."

There is a stark difference in Glasner's philosophy to domestic cup competitions versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's journey to the League Cup quarter-finals in his debut full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner picked his first-choice team for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final match ended in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a slightly controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at half-time. Now, Glasner now faces the task to devise a plan for revenge against the present Premier League leaders in a match that was moved to this week owing to European commitments.

A Cost of Success and Continental Fatigue

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

The coach fielded an entirely changed lineup, including four youngsters, in their last Conference League match. However, for the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "no option" but to pick the bulk of his preferred side, which appeared decidedly jaded as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he stated.

Arsenal's Perspective and Selection Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The manager must balance his ambition to win a second major trophy with extreme practicality. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that League Cup tie but was forced to bring on his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a decisive goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match unbeaten streak versus Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and two in a later league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, is expected to start for the first time since that injury. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We are accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the busy fixture list. "I think this week was the sole complete week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is will be similar. We have a wonderful chance to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be ready."

Amid key players coming back from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal present a daunting challenge for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the holiday schedule ramps up.