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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a quiet period with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the campaign—a Carabao Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. However, the notion that Palace could prioritize other competitions was quickly dismissed by their manager.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," declared Glasner after his team's side's four-one loss to Leeds. "If anyone tells me that we are defeated deliberately, the following day I'm not the manager anymore."

There exists a stark difference in Glasner's approach to cup competitions relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his debut complete campaign in command. 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. Conversely, Glasner picked his best lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a showdown with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final match concluded in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, due to a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must figure out a plan for payback against the current Premier League pace-setters in a match that was rescheduled to this week owing to European obligations.

The Price of Success and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own success. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has brought the challenges of continental football for the first time. These pressures are catching up with some weary squad members, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a break all term.

The coach selected an entirely different side, featuring four teenagers, in their final Conference League fixture. Yet, for the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to select the bulk of his preferred team, which looked decidedly jaded as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he said.

The Gunners' Perspective and Selection Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The manager must juggle his desire to win a second 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 greatly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that cup tie but was forced to bring on 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 available—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game winning run against Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and two in a subsequent league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, is expected to begin for the first time since then setback. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are used to it," commented Arteta on the busy fixture list. "In my view this week was the only full week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is will be like this. We have a wonderful chance to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be prepared."

With key players returning from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal present a daunting test for a Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the festive schedule intensifies.