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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a restful few days with his family in Austria before Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the campaign—a League Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. However, the suggestion that Palace might prioritize other tournaments was swiftly rejected by their head coach.

"No, I don't think so," declared Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 hammering to Leeds. "If anyone tells me that we lose deliberately, the next day I'm not the coach anymore."

There exists a stark contrast in Glasner's approach to domestic cup competitions versus his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup last eight in his debut complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had already been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner fielded his strongest team for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a encounter with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight tie concluded in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a slightly controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a strategy for revenge versus the current Premier League pace-setters in a match that was moved to this week because of European commitments.

A Cost of Achievement and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own success. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the demands of European football for the very first time. These demands are taking a toll on some fatigued players, many of whom have barely enjoyed a rest all season.

The coach fielded an completely different team, including four youngsters, in their final Conference League fixture. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to choose the majority of his preferred team, which appeared extremely jaded as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Team Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The manager must balance his ambition to win a another major trophy with considerable pragmatism. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that cup tie but was forced to introduce his "key players" after the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a decisive goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game winning streak against Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and a brace in a subsequent league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, is expected to start for the first since that setback. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We are accustomed to it," said Arteta on the congested fixture list. "I think this week was the only complete week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is will be like this. We have a wonderful chance to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be ready."

Amid important players coming back from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal pose a formidable challenge for a Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the festive schedule ramps up.