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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a restful period with his loved ones in Austria before 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 competitions was firmly dismissed by their head coach.

"No, I don't think so," declared Glasner after his team's side's four-one loss to Leeds. "Should anyone tells me that we are defeated on purpose, the following day I'm not the coach anymore."

There is a marked difference in Glasner's strategy to cup competitions relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his first complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner fielded his best side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final match concluded in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a somewhat controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must figure out a plan for revenge against the present Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week because of European obligations.

The Price of Achievement and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own achievements. 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 some exhausted squad members, many of whom have barely enjoyed a break all season.

The manager selected an completely changed side, including four teenagers, in their last Conference League fixture. However, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to pick the majority of his first-choice team, which looked extremely lethargic as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Selection Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The boss must balance his ambition to win a another major trophy with considerable pragmatism. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that cup tie but was forced to introduce his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a decisive goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match unbeaten run against Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and a brace in a later league win before suffering a serious knee injury, looks set to begin for the first time since that setback. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are used to it," commented Arteta on the congested fixture list. "I think this week was the sole complete week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is will be like this. We have a beautiful chance to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be ready."

With important players returning from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal present a formidable challenge for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the festive schedule ramps up.