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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a restful period with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the campaign—a League Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace might focus on other tournaments was swiftly dismissed by their manager.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner following his team's side's four-one hammering to Leeds. "If somebody informs me that we are defeated deliberately, the next day I'm not the manager any more."

There exists a stark contrast in Glasner's approach to domestic cup competitions relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his debut full season in command. Under Hodgson, the team had already been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner fielded his first-choice lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a showdown with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight tie ended in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to devise a plan 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 way, been a victim of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the challenges of European football for the first time. These pressures are taking a toll on some weary players, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a rest all term.

The coach fielded an completely different team, featuring four youngsters, in their final Conference League match. Yet, for the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to choose the majority of his preferred side, which looked decidedly lethargic as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he stated.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Team Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The manager must balance his ambition to win a another major trophy with considerable practicality. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game against 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 forced to introduce his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "incensed" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game winning run versus Palace, featuring 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 sustaining a long-term knee injury, is expected to begin for the first time since then setback. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're accustomed to it," said Arteta on the busy schedule. "In my view this week was the only complete week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is going to be similar. We have a beautiful chance to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be prepared."

With important players coming back from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal pose a daunting test for a Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the festive schedule ramps up.