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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a quiet few days with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th game of the season—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace might focus on other competitions was swiftly rejected by their manager.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner after his team's side's four-one hammering to Leeds. "Should anyone tells me that we are defeated deliberately, the following day I'm not the coach any more."

There is a clear contrast in Glasner's philosophy to cup competitions versus his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup last eight in his first full season in charge. 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. In contrast, Glasner fielded his first-choice lineup for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final tie ended in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a slightly controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at half-time. Now, Glasner must devise a strategy for revenge against the current Premier League leaders in a match that was rescheduled to this week owing to European commitments.

The Cost of Achievement and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the challenges of continental football for the first time. These demands are catching up with some weary players, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a rest all season.

The coach deployed an entirely different team, featuring four youngsters, in their last Conference League fixture. However, for the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to select the majority of his first-choice side, which looked decidedly jaded as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he said.

The Gunners' Perspective and Selection Dilemmas

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

Arteta had made a number of changes for that cup tie but was compelled to bring on his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a decisive goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "incensed" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match unbeaten streak against Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and two in a later league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, looks set to start 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're used to it," commented Arteta on the busy fixture list. "I think this week was the only complete week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is will be similar. We have a wonderful chance to go into the last four of a competition so we will be ready."

Amid important players returning from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal present a daunting test for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the festive period ramps up.