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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a quiet few days with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the season—a Carabao Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. However, the notion that Palace might prioritize other tournaments was swiftly rejected by their manager.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," stated Glasner following his team's side's four-one defeat to Leeds. "If somebody informs me that we are defeated deliberately, the next day I'm not the manager any more."

There is a marked contrast in Glasner's philosophy to cup competitions relative to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's journey to the League Cup last eight in his first complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner fielded his first-choice lineup for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final tie ended in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, following a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at the interval. Now, Glasner must devise a plan for revenge versus the present Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was moved to this week because of European obligations.

A Cost of Success and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own success. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has 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 barely enjoyed a break all term.

The coach selected an entirely different side, including four youngsters, in their final Conference League match. Yet, for the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "no option" but to pick the majority of his first-choice side, which appeared decidedly jaded as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he affirmed.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Selection Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The boss must juggle his ambition to win a second major trophy with extreme pragmatism. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that League Cup tie but was forced to introduce his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist 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 be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game winning 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 later league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, is expected to start 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 are accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the busy fixture list. "In my view this week was the sole complete week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is going to be like this. We have a beautiful chance to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be ready."

With key players coming back from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal pose a daunting test for a Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the festive period ramps up.