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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a quiet few days with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th game of the season—a League Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. However, the idea that Palace could prioritize other competitions was quickly rejected by their manager.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner after his team's side's four-one loss to Leeds. "If anyone informs me that we are defeated on purpose, the next day I'm no longer the coach anymore."

There exists a stark contrast in Glasner's approach to cup competitions versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his debut full season in command. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner fielded his strongest side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a showdown with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight tie concluded in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a somewhat controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to devise a strategy for payback versus the current Premier League leaders in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week because of European commitments.

The Price of Success and European 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 brought the rigors of European football for the first time. These pressures are catching up with several fatigued players, many of whom have hardly had a rest all season.

The manager fielded an completely changed side, including four youngsters, in their last Conference League match. However, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "no option" but to select the bulk of his preferred team, which looked decidedly lethargic as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Perspective and Team Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The manager must juggle his desire to win a another major trophy with considerable practicality. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that League Cup tie but was compelled to introduce his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match winning run against Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and a brace in a later league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, looks set to begin for the first since then setback. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are used to it," said Arteta on the busy fixture list. "In my view this week was the sole complete week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is going to be similar. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be prepared."

Amid important players coming back from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal pose a formidable challenge for a Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the festive period intensifies.