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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a restful period with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the season—a Carabao Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. Yet, the notion that Palace might prioritize other competitions was swiftly rejected by their manager.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," stated Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 hammering to Leeds. "If anyone tells me that we are defeated on purpose, the following day I'm not the manager any more."

There is a clear difference in Glasner's strategy to cup competitions versus his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's journey to the League Cup last eight in his first complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner picked his best 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 slightly debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must figure out a plan for payback against the current Premier League leaders in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week because of European obligations.

A Cost of Success and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has brought the demands of European football for the very first time. These pressures are taking a toll on some weary players, many of whom have barely had a break all season.

The coach selected an completely different side, including four teenagers, in their last Conference League match. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to select the bulk of his first-choice side, which appeared extremely jaded as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Selection Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The manager must balance his ambition to win a second major trophy with considerable practicality. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained 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 cup tie but was forced to bring on his "key players" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game unbeaten run against Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and a brace in a later league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, looks set to begin for the first since that setback. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the congested schedule. "I think this week was the only complete week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is will be like this. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be ready."

With important players coming back from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal pose a daunting test for a Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the festive period ramps up.