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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a restful few days with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th game of the season—a League Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. However, the notion that Palace could prioritize other tournaments was firmly rejected by their manager.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," stated Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 loss to Leeds. "Should somebody informs me that we are defeated deliberately, the following day I'm not the coach any more."

There is a clear contrast in Glasner's philosophy to cup competitions compared to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's run to the League Cup quarter-finals 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 by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner fielded his strongest team for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a showdown with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final match ended in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, following a somewhat 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 devise a strategy for payback against the current Premier League leaders in a fixture that was moved to this week owing to European commitments.

The Price of Success and European Exhaustion

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

The manager selected an entirely different lineup, featuring four teenagers, in their last Conference League fixture. However, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "no option" but to pick the bulk of his preferred team, which appeared decidedly jaded as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he stated.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Team Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The boss must juggle 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 just days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that cup match but was forced to bring on his "key players" after the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "incensed" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match unbeaten run against Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and a brace in a later league win before suffering a serious knee injury, looks set to begin for the first time since that injury. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're used to it," said Arteta on the congested fixture list. "In my view this week was the only full week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is going to be like this. We have a wonderful chance to go into the last four of a competition so we will be prepared."

With key players returning from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal pose a formidable challenge for a Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the festive schedule ramps up.