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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a restful few days with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the season—a Carabao Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. Yet, the notion that Palace might prioritize other tournaments was quickly dismissed by their boss.

"No, I do not believe that," declared Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 loss to Leeds. "If anyone tells me that we lose on purpose, the following day I'm no longer the manager any more."

There exists a clear difference in Glasner's philosophy to domestic cup competitions relative to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his first complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner fielded his first-choice side for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a encounter with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final tie concluded in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a slightly controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must figure out a strategy for payback versus the present Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week because of European obligations.

The Cost of Success and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the demands of European football for the first time. These pressures are catching up with several fatigued players, many of whom have barely had a rest all season.

The manager deployed an completely different team, including four teenagers, in their final Conference League fixture. However, for the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to select the bulk of his first-choice side, which appeared extremely lethargic as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

Arsenal's Perspective and Selection Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The boss must balance his desire to win a second major trophy with considerable practicality. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that cup match but was compelled to bring on his "key players" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a decisive goal in a move that left Glasner "incensed" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match winning run against Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and a brace in a subsequent league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, looks set to begin for the first time since that injury. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're used to it," commented Arteta on the busy fixture list. "In my view this week was the sole complete week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is will be like this. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be prepared."

Amid key players coming back from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal pose a daunting challenge for a Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the festive period intensifies.