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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a restful period with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the season—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace might focus on other competitions was swiftly dismissed by their head coach.

"No, I don't think so," declared Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 hammering to Leeds. "Should somebody informs me that we are defeated on purpose, the following day I'm no longer the manager any more."

There is a clear contrast in Glasner's approach to domestic cup competitions versus his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his first complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the team had already been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner picked his best side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a encounter with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final match ended in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, due to a slightly debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at the interval. Now, Glasner must figure out a plan 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 Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own success. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the rigors of continental football for the very first time. These pressures are taking a toll on some weary squad members, many of whom have hardly had a rest all season.

The coach fielded an entirely different lineup, featuring four teenagers, in their last Conference League fixture. However, for the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "no option" but to select the majority of his first-choice team, which looked extremely jaded as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

Arsenal's Perspective and Team Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The manager must juggle his ambition to win a second major trophy with extreme practicality. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that League Cup tie but was forced to bring on his "key players" following the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game unbeaten run versus Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and two in a later league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, is expected to begin for the first time since then setback. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are used to it," commented Arteta on the busy fixture list. "I think this week was the sole complete week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is going to be like this. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the last four of a competition so we will be prepared."

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