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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a quiet few days with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the season—a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. Yet, the notion that Palace could focus on other tournaments was quickly rejected by their head coach.

"No, I don't think so," declared Glasner following his team's side's four-one loss to Leeds. "If somebody informs me that we lose deliberately, the next day I'm no longer the coach anymore."

There is a clear contrast in Glasner's strategy to domestic cup tournaments relative to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's journey to the League Cup last eight in his debut complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had already been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner fielded his first-choice side for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight tie ended in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, following a somewhat debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at half-time. Now, Glasner must figure out a plan for revenge versus the current Premier League pace-setters in a match that was moved to this week owing to European commitments.

The Price of Achievement and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own success. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has brought the challenges of European football for the very first time. These demands are taking a toll on some exhausted players, many of whom have barely enjoyed a rest all term.

The coach deployed an completely changed side, including four teenagers, in their last Conference League match. However, ahead of the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to choose the majority of his first-choice team, which looked decidedly lethargic as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he stated.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Selection Considerations

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 hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had made several changes for that League Cup tie but was forced to bring on his "big-hitters" 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 have an eight-game winning streak against Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and a brace in a subsequent league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, is expected to start for the first since then setback. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are used to it," commented Arteta on the congested fixture list. "In my view this week was the only full week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is going to be like this. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be ready."

With key players returning from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal pose a formidable test for a Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the festive period ramps up.