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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a quiet period with his family in Austria before Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth game of the season—a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace might prioritize other tournaments was firmly rejected by their head coach.

"No, I don't think so," remarked Glasner following his team's side's four-one hammering to Leeds. "Should anyone informs me that we lose deliberately, the next day I'm no longer the coach any more."

There is a stark difference in Glasner's approach to cup competitions compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's run to the League Cup last eight in his first full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had already been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner picked his best side for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final match concluded in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, following a slightly debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a plan for payback against the present Premier League pace-setters in a match that was rescheduled to this week owing to European obligations.

The Price of Success and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the demands of continental football for the very first time. These pressures are taking a toll on some exhausted players, many of whom have barely enjoyed a break all season.

The manager fielded an entirely different side, featuring four teenagers, in their last Conference League match. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "no option" but to select the majority of his preferred side, which looked extremely lethargic as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Team Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The manager must balance his desire to win a second major trophy with considerable practicality. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that cup tie but was compelled to introduce his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match winning run against Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and two in a later league win before suffering a serious knee injury, looks set to begin for the first time since then setback. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're accustomed to it," said Arteta on the busy fixture list. "In my view this week was the sole complete 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 semi-final of a tournament so we will be ready."

With key players returning from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal present a formidable challenge for a Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the festive schedule intensifies.