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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a quiet period with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the campaign—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace could focus on other competitions was quickly dismissed by their head coach.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "Should somebody informs me that we lose on purpose, the following day I'm no longer the coach anymore."

There is a marked contrast in Glasner's approach to cup competitions versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first 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 eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner selected his best side for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a showdown with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final tie ended in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a somewhat controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at the interval. Now, Glasner must devise a strategy for payback versus the present Premier League leaders in a match that was moved to this week owing to European obligations.

The Cost of Success and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own success. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the demands of European football for the very first time. These demands are catching up with some exhausted squad members, many of whom have barely had a break all season.

The coach fielded an completely changed team, including four teenagers, in their last Conference League fixture. However, for the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "no option" but to select the bulk of his preferred side, which looked extremely lethargic as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he said.

Arsenal's Perspective and Team Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The manager must balance his ambition to win a another major trophy with extreme pragmatism. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had made several changes for that cup match but was forced to introduce his "key players" after the break. Saka was introduced from 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 in operation—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.

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

"We're accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the busy schedule. "In my view this week was the only complete week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is will be similar. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the last four of a competition so we will be prepared."

Amid key players returning from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal pose a formidable test for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the festive schedule intensifies.