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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a restful few days with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth fixture of the season—a League Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. Yet, the notion that Palace could focus on other competitions was swiftly rejected by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," declared Glasner following his team's side's four-one hammering to Leeds. "Should anyone informs me that we are defeated on purpose, the next day I'm not the coach anymore."

There exists a clear difference in Glasner's strategy to cup competitions compared to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's journey to the League Cup quarter-finals in his first full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner selected his strongest side for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight match concluded in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a plan for revenge against the current Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was moved to this week because of European commitments.

A Price of Success and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the demands of European football for the first time. These pressures are catching up with some fatigued squad members, many of whom have hardly had a break all term.

The manager selected an entirely different side, including four teenagers, in their final Conference League match. Yet, for the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "no option" but to choose the bulk of his first-choice side, which looked extremely jaded as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he stated.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Team Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The boss must balance his ambition to win a second major trophy with extreme practicality. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that cup tie but was compelled to introduce his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play 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 unbeaten run against Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign'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 since that injury. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We are accustomed to it," said Arteta on the congested fixture list. "In my view this week was the sole full week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is going to be similar. We have a beautiful 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 progress, Arsenal pose a formidable test for a Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the festive period ramps up.