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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a quiet few days with his family in Austria before Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th game of the season—a League Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. However, the notion that Palace might focus on other tournaments was swiftly dismissed by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," stated Glasner following his team's side's four-one defeat to Leeds. "Should somebody tells me that we are defeated deliberately, the next day I'm not the coach any more."

There is a stark contrast in Glasner's philosophy to domestic cup tournaments versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's run to the League Cup quarter-finals in his first complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner selected his first-choice lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight tie concluded in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, due to a somewhat controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must figure out a plan for revenge against the present Premier League leaders in a match that was rescheduled to this week because of European commitments.

The Price of Achievement and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final has brought the demands of European football for the very first time. These pressures are catching up with some fatigued squad members, many of whom have barely enjoyed a rest all term.

The coach selected an completely changed team, featuring four youngsters, in their last Conference League match. However, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "no option" but to choose the majority of his first-choice team, which appeared decidedly jaded as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he stated.

Arsenal's Perspective and Selection Considerations

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

Arteta had made a number of changes for that League Cup tie but was forced to bring on his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a decisive goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "incensed" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game winning run against Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and a brace in a later league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, is expected to start for the first time since then setback. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the congested fixture list. "I think this week was the only complete week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is will be like this. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be ready."

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