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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a restful few days with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the season—a Carabao Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. Yet, the notion that Palace might focus on other competitions was firmly rejected by their boss.

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

There exists a stark contrast in Glasner's strategy to cup competitions versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his debut full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner picked his first-choice side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a encounter with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final match ended in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a slightly controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at the interval. Now, Glasner now faces the task to devise a plan for revenge against the present Premier League pace-setters in a match that was moved to this week owing to European obligations.

The Price of Success and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own success. Leading 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 pressures are catching up with some weary squad members, many of whom have hardly had a break all term.

The coach deployed an entirely different side, featuring four youngsters, in their final Conference League fixture. However, for the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "no option" but to select the bulk of his first-choice side, which appeared extremely jaded as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he said.

The Gunners' Perspective and Selection Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The manager must balance his ambition to win a second major trophy with considerable pragmatism. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had made several changes for that cup match but was compelled to introduce his "key players" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game unbeaten run against Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and a brace in a later league win before suffering a serious knee injury, looks set to start for the first time since then setback. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're used to it," said Arteta on the congested fixture list. "I think this week was the sole complete week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is going to be similar. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be prepared."

With important players coming back from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal pose a daunting test for a Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the festive schedule intensifies.