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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a quiet few days with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth fixture of the season—a League Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. However, the notion that Palace might focus on other competitions was firmly dismissed by their head coach.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," stated Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 hammering to Leeds. "Should anyone informs me that we are defeated on purpose, the following day I'm no longer the manager anymore."

There exists a marked contrast in Glasner's philosophy to domestic cup tournaments relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup last eight in his debut 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 took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner fielded his first-choice team for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a encounter with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final tie ended in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must figure out a plan for payback versus the present Premier League leaders in a match that was rescheduled to this week because of European obligations.

The Cost of Success and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the demands of European football for the first time. These pressures are catching up with some exhausted squad members, many of whom have barely had a rest all term.

The manager selected an completely changed team, featuring four teenagers, in their last Conference League fixture. However, for the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to choose the bulk of his first-choice team, which looked extremely jaded as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he said.

Arsenal's Perspective and Team Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The boss must balance his desire to win a another major trophy with considerable practicality. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had made several changes for that cup match but was compelled to introduce his "key players" after the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "incensed" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match unbeaten streak against Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and a brace in a later league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, looks set to start 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 accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the busy schedule. "I think this week was the sole full week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is going to be like this. We have a wonderful chance to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be prepared."

With important players returning from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal present a daunting challenge for a Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the festive schedule intensifies.