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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a restful period with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the season—a League Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace could focus on other tournaments was firmly dismissed by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," remarked Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 hammering to Leeds. "Should anyone tells me that we are defeated deliberately, the following day I'm not the manager anymore."

There exists a stark contrast in Glasner's strategy to cup competitions relative to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his debut complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner selected his strongest lineup for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a encounter with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight tie ended in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a slightly controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at half-time. Now, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a strategy for revenge against the present Premier League leaders in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week because of European obligations.

A Cost of Achievement and Continental Fatigue

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

The manager fielded an completely different team, including four teenagers, in their final Conference League match. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "no option" but to pick the majority of his preferred team, which appeared extremely lethargic as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Team Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The boss must juggle his ambition to win a another major trophy with extreme practicality. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that cup tie but was compelled 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 "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match winning streak versus Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and two in a subsequent league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, is expected to start for the first since that injury. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're used to it," commented Arteta on the busy fixture list. "In my view this week was the sole complete week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is will be similar. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be ready."

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