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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a quiet period with his family in Austria before Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th game of the season—a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. However, the suggestion that Palace could focus on other tournaments was swiftly rejected by their head coach.

"No, I don't think so," stated Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 loss to Leeds. "Should somebody tells me that we are defeated deliberately, the following day I'm no longer the manager anymore."

There exists a stark contrast in Glasner's approach to domestic cup tournaments versus his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's run to the League Cup quarter-finals in his debut complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner selected his best side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight match ended in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must figure out a strategy for revenge versus the current Premier League leaders in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week because of European obligations.

The Price of Achievement and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own success. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the rigors of continental football for the very first time. These pressures are catching up with several fatigued squad members, many of whom have barely enjoyed a break all term.

The manager fielded an completely changed side, featuring four teenagers, in their last Conference League match. Yet, for the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "no option" but to choose the bulk of his first-choice side, which appeared decidedly lethargic as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he stated.

The Gunners' Perspective and Selection Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The boss must juggle his ambition to win a second major trophy with extreme pragmatism. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that cup match but was compelled to introduce his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game unbeaten streak against Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored 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 time since that setback. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are used to it," said Arteta on the busy schedule. "I think this week was the sole full week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is going to be similar. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be prepared."

With important players returning from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal present a daunting challenge for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the festive schedule intensifies.