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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a restful few days with his family in Austria before Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the season—a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace might focus on other competitions was swiftly rejected by their head coach.

"No, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner after his team's side's four-one loss to Leeds. "If somebody tells me that we are defeated deliberately, the next day I'm not the manager anymore."

There exists a stark contrast in Glasner's approach to domestic cup competitions versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's run to the League Cup quarter-finals in his debut full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had already been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner fielded his best lineup for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final tie ended in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, following a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must figure out a strategy for revenge versus the present Premier League leaders in a fixture that was moved to this week because of European commitments.

The Price of Success and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own success. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has brought the rigors of continental football for the first time. These demands are taking a toll on some exhausted squad members, many of whom have barely had a rest all season.

The manager deployed an entirely different side, featuring four youngsters, in their last Conference League match. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "no option" but to select the bulk of his preferred team, which looked extremely jaded as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Selection Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The manager must juggle his desire to win a another major trophy with extreme pragmatism. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that League Cup tie but was compelled to introduce his "key players" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a decisive goal in a move that left Glasner "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game unbeaten streak versus Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and two in a later league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, looks set to start for the first time since that setback. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are accustomed to it," said Arteta on the congested schedule. "I think this week was the sole complete week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is going to be like this. We have a beautiful chance to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be prepared."

Amid key players coming back from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal pose a formidable test for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the holiday schedule intensifies.