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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a quiet few days with his family in Austria before Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth fixture of the campaign—a Carabao Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. Yet, the notion that Palace could focus on other tournaments was firmly rejected by their boss.

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

There exists a marked contrast in Glasner's approach to domestic cup tournaments versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first 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 knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner fielded his best side for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final tie concluded in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at the interval. Now, Glasner now faces the task to devise a plan for payback versus the present Premier League leaders in a match that was moved to this week owing to European obligations.

A Price of Success 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 demands of continental football for the very first time. These demands are taking a toll on several weary squad members, many of whom have barely enjoyed a rest all season.

The coach fielded an completely changed team, including four youngsters, in their final Conference League fixture. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to select the bulk of his preferred team, which appeared decidedly lethargic as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he said.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Selection Dilemmas

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

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that League Cup tie but was compelled to bring on his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a decisive goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match unbeaten run versus Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign'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 time since that injury. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are used to it," said Arteta on the busy schedule. "In my view this week was the sole complete week we had to prepare. The period 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 prepared."

Amid important players coming back from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal present a daunting challenge for a Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the holiday schedule intensifies.