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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a restful few days with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the season—a League Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. Yet, the notion that Palace could focus on other tournaments was swiftly dismissed by their manager.

"No, I don't think so," stated Glasner following his team's side's four-one hammering to Leeds. "If somebody tells me that we lose on purpose, the following day I'm no longer the manager anymore."

There exists a clear difference in Glasner's strategy to cup competitions relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup last eight in his first full season in command. Under Hodgson, the team had already been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner fielded his first-choice side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a encounter with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final match concluded in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a somewhat debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at half-time. Now, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a strategy for revenge versus the present Premier League leaders in a fixture that was moved to this week because of European obligations.

The Cost of Success and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own success. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the rigors of continental football for the very first time. These demands are catching up with some weary players, many of whom have barely had a break all season.

The manager fielded an entirely different side, featuring four youngsters, in their final Conference League match. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "no option" but to select the majority of his preferred team, which looked decidedly lethargic as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Team Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The manager must juggle his desire to win a second major trophy with considerable pragmatism. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that cup tie but was compelled to bring on his "key players" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a decisive goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match unbeaten run versus Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and a brace in a subsequent league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, is expected to begin for the first time since then injury. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're used to it," commented Arteta on the congested schedule. "In my view this week was the only full week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is going to be like this. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be prepared."

With important players returning from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal pose a formidable test for a Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the festive period intensifies.