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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a restful period with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the season—a Carabao Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. Yet, the notion that Palace might prioritize other competitions was quickly dismissed by their head coach.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," remarked Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 hammering to Leeds. "Should anyone informs me that we are defeated deliberately, the next day I'm not the coach any more."

There is a stark contrast in Glasner's philosophy to domestic cup tournaments relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup last eight in his first full season in command. Under Hodgson, the team had already been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner picked his strongest team for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final tie ended in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a somewhat debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at the interval. Now, Glasner must devise a plan for revenge against the current Premier League pace-setters in a match that was rescheduled to this week because of European obligations.

The Price of Achievement and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the rigors of continental football for the first time. These demands are catching up with some weary squad members, many of whom have barely enjoyed a rest all season.

The manager fielded an entirely changed team, including four teenagers, in their final Conference League match. However, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "no option" but to pick the bulk of his preferred team, which looked extremely lethargic as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he said.

The Gunners' Perspective and Team Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The boss must juggle his ambition to win a second major trophy with extreme pragmatism. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that cup tie but was forced to bring on his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match winning streak versus Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and two in a subsequent league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, looks set to begin for the first since that setback. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are used to it," said Arteta on the busy fixture list. "In my view this week was the only complete week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is going to be similar. We have a wonderful chance to go into the last four of a competition so we will be ready."

With important players returning from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal pose a formidable test for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the holiday period ramps up.