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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a quiet few days with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the season—a Carabao Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. However, the idea that Palace might focus on other competitions was firmly rejected by their boss.

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

There is a marked contrast in Glasner's strategy to cup competitions versus his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's journey to the League Cup quarter-finals in his debut full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had already been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner picked his first-choice side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight match ended in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a slightly debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to devise a plan for revenge against the current Premier League leaders in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week owing to European obligations.

A 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 a win in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the rigors of European football for the very first time. These pressures are catching up with several fatigued squad members, many of whom have barely had a break all term.

The coach selected an entirely changed side, featuring four teenagers, in their final Conference League match. However, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to pick the bulk of his preferred team, which appeared decidedly jaded as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Perspective and Team Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The boss must balance his ambition to win a another major trophy with considerable practicality. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that League Cup tie but was compelled to bring on his "key players" after the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match winning run versus Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and two in a later league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, is expected to begin for the first time since then injury. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are used to it," commented Arteta on the congested fixture list. "In my view this week was the only complete week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is will be like this. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be prepared."

Amid important players returning from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal pose a formidable challenge for a Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the holiday period ramps up.