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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a restful few days with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the campaign—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. However, the notion that Palace could focus on other competitions was quickly dismissed by their boss.

"No, I don't think so," remarked Glasner after his team's side's four-one hammering to Leeds. "If anyone informs me that we lose deliberately, the following day I'm no longer the manager anymore."

There is a clear difference in Glasner's approach to domestic cup competitions compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's run to the League Cup quarter-finals in his debut full season in command. Under Hodgson, the team had already been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner fielded his strongest side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a encounter with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final match ended in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, due to a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must figure out a plan for payback against the current Premier League leaders in a match that was rescheduled to this week owing to European obligations.

A Cost of Success and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own success. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the demands of continental football for the first time. These demands are catching up with several fatigued squad members, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a rest all season.

The manager deployed an completely different team, including four teenagers, in their last Conference League match. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "no option" but to choose the bulk of his first-choice team, which appeared extremely lethargic as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he stated.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Team Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The boss must juggle his desire to win a another major trophy with considerable pragmatism. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had made several changes for that League Cup tie 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 "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match winning run against Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and a brace in a later league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, looks set to start for the first since then setback. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're 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 like this. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be prepared."

Amid important players returning from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal pose a daunting challenge for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the holiday schedule ramps up.