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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a restful period with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the campaign—a Carabao Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. However, the suggestion that Palace could prioritize other competitions was swiftly dismissed by their head coach.

"No, I do not believe that," declared Glasner after his team's side's four-one loss to Leeds. "If somebody tells me that we are defeated on purpose, the next day I'm not the manager anymore."

There exists a stark difference in Glasner's philosophy to cup tournaments compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's journey to the League Cup quarter-finals in his debut complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the team had already been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner selected his strongest lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight tie ended in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, following a somewhat controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at half-time. Now, Glasner must devise a plan for payback versus the current Premier League leaders in a match that was moved to this week because of European commitments.

The Cost of Success and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has ushered in the challenges of continental football for the very first time. These pressures are catching up with some exhausted squad members, many of whom have barely enjoyed a rest all season.

The coach deployed an entirely different lineup, including four youngsters, in their final Conference League fixture. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to select the majority of his first-choice side, which looked decidedly lethargic as they uncharacteristically conceded 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 different. The manager must juggle his desire to win a second major trophy with considerable pragmatism. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that cup match but was forced to bring on his "key players" following 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 available—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match unbeaten streak against Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and a brace in a later league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, looks set to begin for the first since then setback. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're used to it," commented Arteta on the busy fixture list. "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 beautiful chance to go into the last four of a competition so we will be prepared."

Amid key players coming back from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal pose a daunting challenge for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the festive schedule ramps up.