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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a restful period with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth game of the season—a League Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace could focus on other competitions was firmly rejected by their head coach.

"No, I don't think so," remarked Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "If somebody tells me that we lose on purpose, the next day I'm not the coach anymore."

There exists a clear difference in Glasner's strategy to domestic cup tournaments relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's run to the League Cup last eight in his first full season in command. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner picked his first-choice side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a encounter with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final tie ended in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, following a slightly debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to devise a strategy for payback versus the present Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was moved to this week owing to European obligations.

The Price of Success and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own success. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the rigors of European football for the very first time. These demands are catching up with several fatigued players, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a break all term.

The coach deployed an entirely changed lineup, including four teenagers, in their last Conference League fixture. Yet, for the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to pick the bulk of his preferred side, which looked extremely jaded as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he said.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Team Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The manager must balance his ambition to win a another major trophy with extreme pragmatism. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had made several changes for that League Cup match 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 move that left Glasner "incensed" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match winning streak against Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and two in a later league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, looks set 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 used to it," commented Arteta on the busy schedule. "I think this week was the sole complete week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is will be similar. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be prepared."

Amid important players returning from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal present a formidable test for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the holiday schedule intensifies.