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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a restful period with his family in Austria before Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the season—a Carabao Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. However, the idea that Palace could prioritize other tournaments was swiftly dismissed by their manager.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," remarked Glasner after his team's side's four-one loss to Leeds. "Should somebody informs me that we are defeated on purpose, the following day I'm not the manager any more."

There exists a marked contrast in Glasner's strategy to cup tournaments compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's run to the League Cup last eight in his debut full season in command. Under Hodgson, the team had already been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner fielded his best team for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a encounter with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight tie concluded in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at the interval. Now, Glasner must devise a strategy for payback against the current Premier League leaders in a match that was moved to this week because of European obligations.

The Cost of Success and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own success. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has brought the challenges of European football for the very first time. These pressures are taking a toll on some fatigued players, many of whom have hardly had a rest all term.

The manager selected an entirely different lineup, featuring four teenagers, in their final Conference League fixture. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to choose the bulk of his first-choice team, which looked extremely jaded as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he stated.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Team Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The boss must balance his desire to win a another major trophy with extreme pragmatism. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that cup match but was compelled to introduce his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka was introduced from 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 in operation—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match unbeaten streak versus Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and a brace in a subsequent league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, looks set to start for the first 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 schedule. "In my view this week was the only full week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is will be like this. We have a beautiful chance to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be ready."

Amid key players coming back from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal present a daunting challenge for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the holiday period intensifies.