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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a quiet few days with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th game of the campaign—a Carabao Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. However, the idea that Palace could prioritize other competitions was firmly dismissed by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," declared Glasner following his team's side's four-one hammering to Leeds. "If anyone tells me that we lose on purpose, the next day I'm no longer the manager anymore."

There exists a marked contrast in Glasner's philosophy to domestic cup competitions relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's run to the League Cup quarter-finals in his first full season in command. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner picked his best team for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final tie ended in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a slightly debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at half-time. Now, Glasner must devise a plan for payback versus the current Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was moved to this week because of European commitments.

The Cost of Achievement and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own success. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the rigors of European football for the first time. These pressures are catching up with several fatigued squad members, many of whom have barely enjoyed a rest all season.

The coach fielded an completely different team, featuring four teenagers, in their last Conference League fixture. However, for the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "no option" but to pick the majority of his preferred team, which appeared extremely jaded as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he stated.

Arsenal's Perspective and Team Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The manager must juggle his desire to win a second major trophy with considerable practicality. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had made several changes for that cup tie but was forced to bring on his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "incensed" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game unbeaten run against Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and two in a subsequent league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, looks set to begin for the first since that setback. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're used to it," commented Arteta on the congested schedule. "In my view this week was the sole complete week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is going to be similar. We have a beautiful chance to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be prepared."

Amid important players coming back from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal pose a formidable challenge for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the festive schedule ramps up.