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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a restful few days with his family in Austria before Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the campaign—a League Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. However, the idea that Palace might prioritize other competitions was firmly dismissed by their head coach.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," remarked Glasner following his team's side's four-one loss to Leeds. "Should anyone tells me that we are defeated deliberately, the following day I'm not the coach anymore."

There exists a marked contrast in Glasner's approach to cup tournaments versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's run to the League Cup last eight in his first full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had previously 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 best lineup for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final match concluded in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, due to a somewhat debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must devise a strategy for payback versus the present Premier League pace-setters in a match that was rescheduled to this week owing to European obligations.

The Cost of Achievement and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the rigors of continental football for the very first time. These pressures are taking a toll on some weary squad members, many of whom have barely enjoyed a rest all term.

The coach fielded an completely changed team, including four teenagers, in their last Conference League match. Yet, for the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to pick the bulk of his first-choice side, which looked extremely jaded as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he said.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Team Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The boss must balance his desire to win a second major trophy with extreme pragmatism. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had made several changes for that League 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 in operation—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game unbeaten run versus Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and two in a later league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, is expected to begin for the first time since that setback. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're 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 rest until February at least is will be similar. We have a wonderful chance to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be prepared."

Amid important players returning from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal present a daunting test for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the holiday schedule intensifies.