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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a restful period with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the season—a League Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace could focus on other competitions was swiftly rejected by their head coach.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," declared Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "Should anyone tells me that we are defeated deliberately, the next day I'm not the manager anymore."

There exists a clear contrast in Glasner's philosophy to cup competitions versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup last eight in his debut complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner selected his best lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight tie concluded in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a slightly controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a strategy for payback against the current Premier League leaders in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week owing to European commitments.

The Price of Achievement and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own success. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final has ushered in the challenges of continental football for the first time. These pressures are taking a toll on several fatigued squad members, many of whom have barely enjoyed a rest all term.

The manager deployed an completely changed lineup, featuring four youngsters, in their final Conference League match. However, ahead of the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "no option" but to choose the bulk of his preferred team, which appeared decidedly jaded as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he said.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Selection Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. 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 only days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that cup tie but was forced to bring on his "key players" after 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 in operation—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game winning run against Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and a brace in a subsequent league win before suffering a serious knee injury, looks set to begin for the first time since then setback. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

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

With key players coming back from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal pose a formidable test for a Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the holiday schedule ramps up.