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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a restful period with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the season—a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace could focus on other competitions was swiftly dismissed by their boss.

"No, I do not believe that," stated Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "Should somebody tells me that we are defeated on purpose, the following day I'm not the manager any more."

There exists a stark difference in Glasner's strategy to cup tournaments relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his debut full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner selected his best team for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight tie concluded in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at the interval. Now, Glasner must devise a strategy for revenge against the present Premier League pace-setters in a match that was moved to this week owing to European commitments.

The Price of Achievement and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the demands of continental football for the first time. These demands are taking a toll on several exhausted squad members, many of whom have barely enjoyed a break all season.

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

The Gunners' Perspective and Team Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The boss must balance his desire to win a second major trophy with considerable practicality. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly damaged their title aspirations.

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

Arsenal are on an eight-game winning run against Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and two in a later league win before suffering a serious knee injury, is expected to start for the first since then setback. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're used to it," commented Arteta on the congested schedule. "In my view this week was the only complete week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is will be similar. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the last four of a competition so we will be prepared."

With key players returning from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal present a formidable challenge for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the festive period intensifies.