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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a quiet few days with his family in Austria before Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the campaign—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the notion that Palace might focus on other tournaments was quickly rejected by their head coach.

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

There is a marked difference in Glasner's philosophy to cup tournaments compared to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his first full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner fielded his strongest side for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final tie concluded in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, due to a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at half-time. Now, Glasner must devise a plan for payback versus the current Premier League leaders in a fixture that was moved to this week because of European obligations.

The Cost of Success and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own success. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final has ushered in the demands of European football for the very first time. These demands are catching up with some weary players, many of whom have barely had a rest all season.

The coach deployed an completely changed side, including four teenagers, in their last Conference League match. However, for the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to choose the bulk of his preferred side, which appeared decidedly lethargic as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he said.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Selection Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The boss must balance his ambition to win a second major trophy with considerable practicality. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that cup tie but was compelled to introduce his "key players" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a decisive goal in a passage of play 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-game unbeaten streak versus Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and a brace in a later league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, looks set to start for the first since then injury. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We are accustomed to it," said Arteta on the busy fixture list. "I think this week was the only full week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is going to be similar. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be ready."

Amid key players returning from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal pose a daunting challenge for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the holiday schedule intensifies.