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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a restful few days with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth game of the campaign—a League Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the notion that Palace could prioritize other competitions was quickly dismissed by their boss.

"No, I do not believe that," declared Glasner after his team's side's four-one defeat to Leeds. "Should anyone tells me that we lose deliberately, the following day I'm not the manager anymore."

There is a clear contrast in Glasner's philosophy to cup tournaments versus his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's journey to the League Cup last eight in his first full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner picked his first-choice side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final tie ended in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, due to a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at the interval. Now, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a plan for payback versus the current Premier League pace-setters in a match that was rescheduled to this week because of European obligations.

The Cost of Achievement and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own success. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the rigors of continental football for the very first time. These demands are taking a toll on several fatigued squad members, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a rest all season.

The coach deployed an entirely changed team, featuring four youngsters, in their last Conference League match. However, ahead of the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to pick the bulk of his preferred team, which looked decidedly jaded as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he said.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Team Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The manager must juggle his ambition to win a another major trophy with extreme pragmatism. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that cup tie but was forced to introduce his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a decisive goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match unbeaten run against Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and two in a subsequent league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, is expected to begin for the first since then setback. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

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

With key players returning from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal present a formidable test for a Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the holiday period intensifies.