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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a restful few days with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the season—a League Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. Yet, the notion that Palace could focus on other competitions was swiftly rejected by their manager.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 loss to Leeds. "Should anyone tells me that we are defeated on purpose, the following day I'm not the manager any more."

There exists a clear difference in Glasner's philosophy to domestic cup competitions relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup last eight in his first full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner picked his first-choice team for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a encounter with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final tie concluded in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a plan for revenge versus the present Premier League leaders in a match that was rescheduled to this week because of European obligations.

The Price of Achievement and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the demands of European football for the first time. These pressures are taking a toll on some fatigued squad members, many of whom have barely enjoyed a break all season.

The manager selected an completely different lineup, featuring four youngsters, in their last Conference League fixture. However, for the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "no option" but to select the majority of his first-choice side, which appeared decidedly jaded as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he affirmed.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Team Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The boss must juggle his desire to win a second major trophy with extreme pragmatism. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that League Cup match but was compelled to bring on his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial 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-match winning streak versus Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and two in a subsequent league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, looks set to start for the first since that setback. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "touching" 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 sole complete week we had to get ready. 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 competition so we will be ready."

With important players coming back from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal present a daunting test for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the festive period intensifies.