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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a restful few days with his family in Austria before Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the campaign—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace could focus on other competitions was quickly dismissed by their boss.

"No, I don't think so," remarked Glasner following his team's side's four-one hammering to Leeds. "Should anyone informs me that we are defeated deliberately, the following day I'm no longer the coach anymore."

There is a stark difference in Glasner's philosophy to cup tournaments versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup last eight in his first complete campaign 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. Conversely, Glasner picked his first-choice team for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final tie ended in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, due to a somewhat debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at the interval. Now, Glasner must figure out a plan for revenge against the current Premier League leaders in a fixture that was moved to this week owing to European obligations.

The Price of Achievement and Continental 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 subsequently ushered in the rigors of continental football for the very first time. These demands are taking a toll on several weary players, many of whom have hardly had a break all season.

The manager fielded an completely different side, featuring four youngsters, in their last Conference League match. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to pick the majority of his first-choice side, which looked extremely lethargic as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he affirmed.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Team Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The manager must balance his ambition to win a another major trophy with considerable pragmatism. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that League Cup match but was compelled to introduce his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a decisive goal in a move that left Glasner "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game winning streak against Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and two in a later league win before suffering a serious knee injury, is expected to begin for the first time since then injury. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're accustomed to it," said Arteta on the congested schedule. "In my view this week was the only full week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is going to be like this. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be ready."

With key players coming back from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal pose a daunting test for a Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the festive schedule intensifies.