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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a quiet few days with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the campaign—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace could focus on other competitions was swiftly dismissed by their manager.

"No, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner after his team's side's four-one hammering to Leeds. "Should somebody informs me that we are defeated deliberately, the following day I'm not the coach any more."

There exists a clear difference in Glasner's approach to cup tournaments relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his first complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the team had already been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner picked his strongest lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight tie ended in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a slightly 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 moved to this week because of European obligations.

A Cost of Achievement and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the rigors of European football for the first time. These pressures are taking a toll on some fatigued squad members, many of whom have hardly had a break all term.

The coach deployed an entirely different lineup, including four teenagers, in their final Conference League fixture. However, for the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to pick the majority of his first-choice side, which looked decidedly jaded as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Selection Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The boss must juggle his ambition to win a second major trophy with extreme practicality. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that League Cup tie but was forced to bring on his "key players" after the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match winning run versus Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and two in a subsequent league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, is expected to begin for the first time since then setback. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're used to it," commented Arteta on the congested fixture list. "In my view this week was the sole complete week we had to prepare. The rest 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 important players returning from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal pose a daunting challenge for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the holiday schedule ramps up.