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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a restful period with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the season—a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. Yet, the notion that Palace could focus on other tournaments was firmly rejected by their head coach.

"No, I don't think so," stated Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 hammering to Leeds. "Should somebody tells me that we are defeated on purpose, the next day I'm not the coach any more."

There is a clear contrast in Glasner's philosophy to domestic cup competitions compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's journey to the League Cup quarter-finals in his first complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time 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 previous quarter-final tie ended in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a slightly debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at half-time. Now, Glasner must devise a plan for revenge against the current Premier League leaders in a match that was rescheduled to this week owing to European obligations.

A Cost of Achievement and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the challenges of continental football for the very first time. These pressures are catching up with several exhausted players, many of whom have barely had a break all season.

The coach deployed an entirely different lineup, featuring four teenagers, in their final Conference League match. However, ahead of the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to select the majority of his preferred side, which appeared decidedly jaded as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he said.

Arsenal's Perspective and Team Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The manager must balance his ambition to win a second major trophy with considerable practicality. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained 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 cup tie but was compelled to introduce his "key players" following the break. Saka came off 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 repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game winning run versus Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and a brace in a subsequent league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, is expected to begin for the first time since that injury. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We are used to it," commented Arteta on the busy schedule. "I think this week was the sole full week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is will be similar. We have a wonderful chance to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be prepared."

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