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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a restful period with his family in Austria before Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th game of the campaign—a League Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. Yet, the notion that Palace might focus on other competitions was firmly rejected by their manager.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," remarked Glasner after his team's side's four-one defeat to Leeds. "Should somebody informs me that we are defeated on purpose, the next day I'm no longer the coach any more."

There exists a stark contrast in Glasner's approach to domestic cup competitions versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's journey to the League Cup last eight in his debut complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner fielded his strongest lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a encounter with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final tie ended in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must figure out a strategy for revenge versus the present Premier League pace-setters in a match that was rescheduled to this week because of European obligations.

A Price of Success and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the challenges of continental football for the first time. These demands are taking a toll on several weary squad members, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a rest all season.

The coach selected an completely different lineup, featuring four teenagers, in their final Conference League match. However, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to select the bulk of his preferred side, which looked extremely lethargic as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he affirmed.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Team Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The manager must balance his desire to win a second major trophy with extreme pragmatism. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that cup tie but was forced to introduce his "key players" following the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match unbeaten streak against Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and a brace in a subsequent league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, is expected to start for the first time since then setback. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're accustomed to it," said Arteta on the congested fixture list. "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 like this. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be ready."

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