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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a restful few days with his family in Austria before Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth game of the season—a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. However, the idea that Palace might prioritize other tournaments was quickly rejected by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," stated Glasner after 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 not the coach anymore."

There is a marked difference in Glasner's approach to cup tournaments versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup last eight in his debut full season in command. Under Hodgson, the team had already been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner picked his best lineup for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a encounter with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final tie concluded in a three-two defeat 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 figure out a plan for payback versus the present Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week owing to European obligations.

The Price of Success and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own success. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has ushered in the demands of continental football for the first time. These demands are catching up with several weary players, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a rest all season.

The coach selected an completely different lineup, including four teenagers, in their last Conference League fixture. Yet, for the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "no option" but to choose the bulk of his preferred side, which looked extremely lethargic as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he affirmed.

Arsenal's Perspective and Team Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The manager must balance his ambition to win a another major trophy with considerable practicality. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that League Cup match but was compelled to bring on his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial 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 are on an eight-game winning run versus Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and a brace in a later league win before suffering a serious knee injury, is expected to begin for the first time since then injury. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

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

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