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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a quiet few days with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the season—a Carabao Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. However, the idea that Palace could focus on other competitions was quickly rejected by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," declared Glasner following his team's side's four-one loss to Leeds. "Should somebody tells me that we are defeated on purpose, the next day I'm not the manager any more."

There is a stark contrast in Glasner's approach to cup tournaments relative to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup last eight in his first full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had already been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner fielded his best team for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight match ended in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a somewhat debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to devise a plan for payback against the present Premier League leaders in a fixture that was moved to this week because of European obligations.

The Price of Success and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the challenges of continental football for the first time. These pressures are catching up with some weary players, many of whom have barely had a rest all season.

The manager deployed an completely changed team, featuring four teenagers, in their last Conference League fixture. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to choose the majority of his first-choice side, which appeared decidedly lethargic as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Perspective and Selection Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The boss must balance his ambition to win a another major trophy with considerable practicality. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had made several changes for that cup tie but was compelled to introduce his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game unbeaten streak against Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and a brace in a later league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, is expected to begin for the first since that setback. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We are used to it," said Arteta on the congested schedule. "I think this week was the sole full week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is going to be like this. We have a wonderful chance to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be prepared."

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