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One might excuse 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 twenty-ninth game of the campaign—a League Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. Yet, the notion that Palace might focus on other tournaments was swiftly rejected by their head coach.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner after his team's side's four-one loss to Leeds. "If anyone informs me that we are defeated on purpose, the following day I'm no longer the coach anymore."

There is a clear difference in Glasner's philosophy to cup competitions versus his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup last eight in his debut complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the club had already 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 quarter-final tie concluded in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, following a somewhat controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at the interval. Now, Glasner now faces the task to devise a strategy for revenge against the present Premier League pace-setters in a match that was rescheduled to this week owing to European obligations.

The Price of Success and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the rigors of continental football for the first time. These pressures are taking a toll on some exhausted squad members, many of whom have barely enjoyed a rest all term.

The manager fielded an entirely changed team, featuring four youngsters, in their last Conference League match. Yet, for the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "no option" but to select the bulk of his preferred team, which appeared extremely lethargic as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he stated.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Team Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The manager must juggle his ambition to win a second major trophy with considerable practicality. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had made several changes for that cup tie but was compelled to bring on his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a decisive goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game winning run versus Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and a brace in a later league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, is expected to start for the first since that setback. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the congested fixture list. "I think this week was the only full week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is will 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 present a daunting test for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the festive period ramps up.