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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a restful few days with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the season—a League Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. However, the idea that Palace might focus on other competitions was firmly rejected by their head coach.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," stated Glasner after his team's side's four-one hammering to Leeds. "Should anyone tells me that we are defeated deliberately, the following day I'm no longer the manager anymore."

There exists a clear contrast in Glasner's approach to domestic cup competitions compared to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's journey to the League Cup quarter-finals in his debut full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had already been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner fielded his strongest side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final match concluded in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, following a somewhat debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at the interval. Now, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a plan for revenge versus the current Premier League pace-setters in a match that was rescheduled to this week owing to European obligations.

A Price of Success and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final has brought the demands of continental football for the very first time. These demands are taking a toll on several exhausted players, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a rest all term.

The manager selected an entirely changed lineup, including four teenagers, in their last Conference League match. However, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "no option" but to pick the majority of his first-choice side, which looked extremely lethargic as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he stated.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Selection Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The manager must balance his ambition to win a second major trophy with considerable practicality. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly damaged their title hopes.

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

Arsenal have an eight-game winning run against Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and two in a subsequent league win before suffering a serious knee injury, is expected to start for the first time since then setback. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're used to it," said Arteta on the congested fixture list. "In my view this week was the only full week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is going to be like this. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the last four of a competition so we will be ready."

Amid important players returning from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal present a daunting test for a Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the festive schedule ramps up.