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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a quiet few days with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth fixture of the season—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. However, the idea that Palace could prioritize other competitions was firmly dismissed by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," declared Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 loss to Leeds. "Should anyone tells me that we are defeated deliberately, the following day I'm not the manager any more."

There is a marked difference in Glasner's philosophy to domestic cup competitions relative to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his first full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had already 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 wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a encounter with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight tie concluded in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a somewhat debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at half-time. Now, Glasner must devise a plan for payback versus the present Premier League pace-setters in a match that was moved to this week because of European obligations.

The Cost of Achievement and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own success. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the demands of continental football for the very first time. These demands are catching up with some exhausted players, many of whom have barely enjoyed a break all term.

The coach selected an entirely different lineup, including four teenagers, in their last Conference League fixture. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to pick the bulk of his preferred side, which appeared decidedly jaded as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Team Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The manager must balance his ambition to win a second major trophy with extreme practicality. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that cup tie but was forced to introduce his "key players" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game unbeaten streak against Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and two in a subsequent league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, looks set to begin for the first since then injury. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We are accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the congested schedule. "In my view this week was the only complete week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is going to be similar. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be ready."

Amid key players coming back from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal present a daunting challenge for a Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the holiday schedule ramps up.