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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a restful period with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th game of the campaign—a Carabao Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace might focus on other tournaments was firmly rejected by their manager.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," declared Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 hammering to Leeds. "Should anyone tells me that we lose on purpose, the next day I'm not the coach anymore."

There exists a clear contrast in Glasner's approach to cup tournaments relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his debut full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had already been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner picked his first-choice lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final match concluded in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at half-time. Now, Glasner must figure out a strategy for revenge against the current Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was moved to this week because of European commitments.

The 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 subsequently brought the demands of European football for the first time. These demands are catching up with several exhausted squad members, many of whom have hardly had a break all season.

The manager selected an entirely different lineup, including four youngsters, in their final Conference League fixture. Yet, for the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to pick the majority of his first-choice team, which looked decidedly lethargic as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he said.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Selection Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The manager must balance his desire to win a second major trophy with extreme pragmatism. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had made several changes for that League Cup tie but was compelled to introduce his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a move 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 unbeaten run 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 serious knee injury, is expected to begin for the first time since then setback. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're used to it," commented Arteta on the congested fixture list. "In my view this week was the sole full week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is going to be like this. We have a beautiful chance to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be ready."

With key players coming back from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal pose a formidable test for a Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the holiday period ramps up.