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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a quiet period with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth game of the season—a League Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace could prioritize other tournaments was quickly rejected by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," declared Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 loss to Leeds. "If somebody tells me that we are defeated on purpose, the next day I'm no longer the manager anymore."

There is a clear difference in Glasner's philosophy to cup competitions compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's journey to the League Cup last eight in his first complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the club had already been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner fielded his strongest lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final match ended in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must devise a strategy for revenge versus the current Premier League leaders in a fixture that was moved to this week owing to European obligations.

A Cost of Achievement and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the challenges of European football for the very first time. These demands are taking a toll on some fatigued players, many of whom have barely had a break all term.

The coach selected an completely changed side, including four youngsters, in their last Conference League match. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "no option" but to pick the majority of his first-choice team, which looked decidedly jaded as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he said.

Arsenal's Perspective and Team Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The boss must juggle his ambition to win a second major trophy with considerable pragmatism. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had made several changes for that cup tie but was compelled to introduce his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match winning run against Palace, including 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 serious knee injury, is expected to begin for the first time since then injury. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the busy schedule. "In my view this week was the sole full week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is going to be like this. We have a wonderful chance to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be prepared."

With key players returning from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal pose a daunting challenge for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the holiday schedule intensifies.