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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a quiet few days with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the season—a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. However, the notion that Palace could focus on other competitions was swiftly dismissed by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," declared Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 loss to Leeds. "If somebody informs me that we are defeated on purpose, the following day I'm no longer the coach anymore."

There is a stark contrast in Glasner's approach to cup tournaments versus his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his debut complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner fielded his best team for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final tie ended in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, due to a slightly controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at half-time. Now, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a strategy for payback versus the present Premier League leaders in a match that was rescheduled to this week owing to European commitments.

A Cost of Success and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own success. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final has brought the rigors of European football for the very first time. These demands are catching up with some fatigued squad members, many of whom have barely had a break all term.

The coach fielded an entirely changed team, featuring four teenagers, in their final Conference League match. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to pick the bulk of his preferred side, which looked extremely jaded as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he said.

The Gunners' Perspective and Team Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The boss must juggle his ambition to win a second major trophy with considerable pragmatism. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that League Cup match but was compelled to introduce his "key players" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a decisive goal in a move that left Glasner "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match unbeaten streak versus Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and two in a later league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, is expected to begin for the first time since that setback. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the busy fixture list. "In my view this week was the sole full week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is will be similar. We have a beautiful chance to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be ready."

With 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 ramps up.