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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a restful few days with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the campaign—a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. Yet, the notion that Palace could prioritize other tournaments was swiftly dismissed by their boss.

"No, I don't think so," declared Glasner following his team's side's four-one defeat to Leeds. "Should somebody tells me that we are defeated on purpose, the following day I'm no longer the coach anymore."

There is a marked difference in Glasner's strategy to domestic cup competitions compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup last eight in his debut full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had already been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner fielded his strongest side for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a encounter with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight tie ended in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at the interval. Now, Glasner now faces the task to devise a plan for revenge versus the current Premier League leaders in a match that was rescheduled to this week owing to European commitments.

A Price of Achievement and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own success. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the rigors of European football for the very first time. These pressures are taking a toll on some exhausted players, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a break all term.

The coach selected an entirely different team, featuring four teenagers, in their final Conference League fixture. However, for the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "no option" but to choose the bulk of his first-choice side, which looked decidedly lethargic as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Team Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The boss must juggle his ambition to win a another major trophy with considerable pragmatism. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had made 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 passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match winning streak versus Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and two in a subsequent league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, is expected to begin for the first since that setback. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We are used to it," commented Arteta on the congested schedule. "In my view this week was the only full week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is will be like this. We have a beautiful chance to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be ready."

With important players returning from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal present a formidable test for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the festive schedule intensifies.