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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a restful period with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the season—a League Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. However, the idea that Palace might prioritize other tournaments was swiftly rejected by their boss.

"No, I do not believe that," declared Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "Should somebody tells me that we lose deliberately, the following day I'm not the manager any more."

There is a marked difference in Glasner's philosophy to domestic cup competitions versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's journey to the League Cup last eight in his debut full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had already been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner selected his best side for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a encounter with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight tie ended in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a somewhat debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a strategy for revenge versus the current Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week because of European obligations.

The Price of Success and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has brought the demands of continental 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 deployed an completely different team, featuring four teenagers, in their final Conference League fixture. However, for the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to select the bulk of his preferred team, which looked extremely lethargic as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he said.

Arsenal's Perspective and Selection Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The boss must balance his desire to win a another major trophy with extreme practicality. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that cup tie but was forced to bring on his "key players" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match unbeaten run versus Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and two in a later league win before suffering a serious knee injury, looks set to start for the first since that injury. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We are used to it," said Arteta on the congested schedule. "I think this week was the only complete week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is going to be like this. We have a beautiful chance to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be ready."

With key players coming back from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal present a formidable test for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the holiday period intensifies.