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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a restful period with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth fixture of the campaign—a League Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. However, the suggestion that Palace might focus on other tournaments was swiftly dismissed by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," declared Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 loss to Leeds. "If anyone informs me that we lose on purpose, the next day I'm no longer the coach any more."

There is a stark contrast in Glasner's approach to domestic cup tournaments relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his debut full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had already 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 first-choice lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a encounter with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight match ended in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, following a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must figure out a plan for revenge against the current Premier League leaders in a fixture that was moved to this week because of European commitments.

The Price of Success and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the challenges of continental football for the very first time. These pressures are catching up with some fatigued squad members, many of whom have barely had a rest all season.

The coach selected an entirely changed side, featuring four youngsters, in their final Conference League match. However, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to pick the bulk of his first-choice side, which looked extremely jaded as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he said.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Team Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The boss must juggle his ambition to win a second major trophy with extreme practicality. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had made several changes for that League Cup tie but was compelled to introduce his "key players" after the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a decisive goal in a move that left Glasner "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game winning run versus Palace, including 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 long-term knee injury, looks set to start for the first since that setback. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're used to it," said Arteta on the busy fixture list. "I think this week was the only complete week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is will be like this. We have a wonderful chance to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be prepared."

Amid key players returning from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal pose a formidable test for a Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the holiday period intensifies.