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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a quiet period with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the season—a League Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace might focus on other competitions was quickly dismissed by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," stated Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "If somebody tells me that we lose deliberately, the following day I'm not the manager anymore."

There exists a clear contrast in Glasner's approach to cup competitions relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his debut complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had already been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner fielded his best lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight match ended in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a somewhat controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to devise a plan for revenge against the current Premier League leaders in a match that was rescheduled to this week because of European commitments.

A Cost of Success and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own success. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has ushered in the rigors of continental football for the first time. These pressures are catching up with several weary players, many of whom have hardly had a rest all term.

The coach deployed an entirely different team, including four teenagers, in their last Conference League match. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to pick the bulk of his preferred side, which appeared extremely jaded as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Team Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The boss must balance his desire to win a another major trophy with extreme pragmatism. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had made several changes for that cup tie but was forced to introduce his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a decisive goal in a move that left Glasner "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

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

"We are used to it," commented Arteta on the congested fixture list. "I think this week was the sole full week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is will be like this. We have a wonderful chance to go into the last four of a competition so we will be ready."

Amid important players coming back from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal present a daunting challenge for a Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the holiday schedule ramps up.