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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a quiet period with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth fixture of the season—a Carabao Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. However, the notion that Palace could prioritize other competitions was firmly rejected by their manager.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "If anyone tells me that we lose on purpose, the following day I'm no longer the coach any more."

There is a clear contrast in Glasner's approach to cup tournaments versus his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his debut full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had already been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner fielded his first-choice lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight tie ended in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, due to a slightly debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at half-time. Now, Glasner must figure out a plan for payback versus the present Premier League pace-setters in a match that was moved to this week because of European commitments.

A Cost of Achievement and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own success. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the rigors of European football for the first time. These pressures are catching up with some exhausted players, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a break all term.

The coach fielded an entirely different lineup, featuring four youngsters, in their last Conference League match. However, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "no option" but to select the majority of his preferred team, which appeared decidedly jaded as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he stated.

Arsenal's Perspective and Selection Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The manager must balance his ambition to win a second major trophy with considerable practicality. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that cup tie but was compelled 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 in operation—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match winning run versus Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and a brace in a subsequent league win before suffering a serious knee injury, looks set to begin for the first time since that setback. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're accustomed to it," said Arteta on the busy schedule. "In my view this week was the only complete week we had to prepare. The period 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 determination to progress, Arsenal present a daunting test for a Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the festive schedule ramps up.