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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a restful few days with his family in Austria before Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th game of the campaign—a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. However, the idea that Palace might focus on other tournaments was quickly dismissed by their head coach.

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

There exists a clear difference in Glasner's strategy to domestic cup competitions relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's run to the League Cup last eight in his first full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had already been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner fielded his first-choice team for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a encounter with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight tie concluded in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, following a slightly debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at the interval. Now, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a strategy for payback against the current Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week owing to European commitments.

The Price of Achievement and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own success. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has ushered in the challenges of European football for the very first time. These pressures are catching up with several exhausted squad members, many of whom have hardly had a rest all season.

The coach selected an entirely changed lineup, featuring four youngsters, in their final Conference League fixture. Yet, for the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "no option" but to select the majority of his preferred side, which looked extremely lethargic as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he said.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Team Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The manager must juggle his desire to win a second major trophy with extreme pragmatism. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had made several changes for that cup match but was forced to bring on his "key players" after 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 available—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match unbeaten run against Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored 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 begin for the first since then setback. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the busy schedule. "In my view this week was the only full week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is going to be like this. We have a wonderful chance to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be ready."

Amid key players coming back from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal present a formidable test for a Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the holiday period intensifies.