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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a restful few days with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th game of the campaign—a Carabao Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. However, the idea that Palace might prioritize other tournaments was quickly dismissed by their manager.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," declared Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 loss to Leeds. "Should somebody tells me that we are defeated deliberately, the next day I'm no longer the manager any more."

There exists a clear difference in Glasner's approach to domestic cup tournaments relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup last eight in his first complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had already 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 lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a encounter with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight tie concluded in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a slightly controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a strategy for payback versus the present Premier League pace-setters in a match that was moved to this week because of European commitments.

The Cost of Success and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has ushered in the demands of continental football for the very first time. These demands are catching up with some weary players, many of whom have barely had a rest all term.

The manager selected an completely different team, featuring four teenagers, in their last Conference League fixture. However, for the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "no option" but to pick the bulk of his preferred team, which appeared extremely lethargic as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he stated.

Arsenal's Perspective and Team Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The manager must balance his ambition to win a second major trophy with considerable practicality. Last year, a hamstring 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 League Cup tie but was compelled to introduce his "key players" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game unbeaten streak against Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and two in a subsequent league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, is expected to start for the first since then setback. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the congested fixture list. "I think this week was the only full week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is going to be similar. We have a wonderful chance to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be prepared."

Amid important players coming back from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal present a formidable challenge for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the holiday period ramps up.