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

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," declared Glasner following his team's side's four-one defeat to Leeds. "If somebody informs me that we lose deliberately, the following day I'm not the manager any more."

There exists a marked difference in Glasner's strategy to domestic cup competitions compared to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup last eight in his first complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner selected his best side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final tie ended in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a somewhat controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a plan for revenge against the current Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was moved to this week because of European obligations.

A Price of Success and European 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 has ushered in the challenges of European football for the very first time. These demands are taking a toll on some exhausted players, many of whom have hardly had a rest all season.

The coach fielded an entirely changed lineup, featuring four teenagers, in their last Conference League match. However, for the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to choose the majority of his first-choice side, which looked extremely lethargic as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Perspective and Selection Considerations

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

Arteta had made several changes for that League Cup match but was forced to introduce his "big-hitters" 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 possible offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game winning run against Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and two in a subsequent league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, looks set to begin for the first since then injury. 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. "I think this week was the only full week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is will be similar. We have a wonderful chance to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be prepared."

Amid important players returning from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal pose a formidable test for a Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the festive schedule intensifies.