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

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," declared Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 loss to Leeds. "Should somebody informs me that we are defeated deliberately, the following day I'm no longer the manager anymore."

There exists a clear difference in Glasner's strategy to cup tournaments compared to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup last eight in his first complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the club had already been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner picked his first-choice team for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a encounter with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight match ended in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a somewhat debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must devise a strategy for payback versus the current Premier League pace-setters in a match that was moved to this week because of European obligations.

The Price of Success and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the rigors of European football for the very first time. These demands are taking a toll on some weary squad members, many of whom have hardly had a break all season.

The coach selected an entirely different team, featuring four youngsters, in their last Conference League fixture. Yet, for the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to pick 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, must," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Perspective and Selection Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The manager must balance his desire to win a another major trophy with extreme practicality. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that cup match but was compelled to bring on his "key players" following the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a decisive goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game winning run against Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and a brace in a subsequent league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, looks set to start for the first since that setback. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "touching" 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 sole complete week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is will be like this. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be ready."

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