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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a quiet few days with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth fixture of the season—a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. However, the notion that Palace might focus on other competitions was quickly rejected by their boss.

"No, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 hammering to Leeds. "If anyone informs me that we lose deliberately, the following day I'm not the manager any more."

There exists a stark contrast in Glasner's approach to domestic cup tournaments compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup last eight in his first full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had already been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner picked 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 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at the interval. Now, Glasner must figure out a plan for payback versus the present Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week because of European obligations.

A Cost of Achievement and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has ushered in the demands of European football for the very first time. These pressures are catching up with some weary squad members, many of whom have barely had a rest all season.

The coach deployed an completely different team, including four youngsters, in their last Conference League fixture. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "no option" but to choose the bulk of his preferred side, which appeared extremely jaded as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he said.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Selection Dilemmas

For 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 against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that cup tie but was forced to introduce his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka was introduced from 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 available—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game unbeaten streak versus Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and a brace in a subsequent league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, looks set to start for the first time since then injury. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We are 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 will be similar. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be ready."

Amid key players returning from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal pose a daunting test for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the festive period ramps up.