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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a restful period with his loved ones in Austria ahead of 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 could prioritize other tournaments was quickly dismissed by their head coach.

"No, I don't think so," stated Glasner after his team's side's four-one loss to Leeds. "Should somebody tells me that we are defeated deliberately, the following day I'm no longer the manager anymore."

There is a stark contrast in Glasner's strategy to domestic cup competitions compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his first complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the club had already been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner picked his first-choice team for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a encounter with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final match ended in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, due to a slightly debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a plan for revenge versus the present Premier League leaders in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week owing to European commitments.

The Cost of Achievement and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own success. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has ushered in the rigors of continental football for the first time. These demands are catching up with several exhausted players, many of whom have barely enjoyed a rest all term.

The manager deployed an completely different side, including four youngsters, in their final Conference League fixture. However, for the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to choose the bulk of his first-choice team, which appeared extremely lethargic as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Perspective and Team Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The manager must juggle his desire to win a another major trophy with extreme practicality. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that cup tie but was forced to bring on his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game unbeaten streak against Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and two in a subsequent league win before suffering a serious knee injury, is expected to begin for the first time since then setback. 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 busy fixture list. "In my view this week was the sole complete week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is will be similar. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be prepared."

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