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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a restful few days with his family in Austria before Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the campaign—a League Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace could focus on other competitions was firmly dismissed by their manager.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," stated Glasner after his team's side's four-one defeat to Leeds. "If somebody tells me that we lose deliberately, the next day I'm not the manager any more."

There is a clear difference in Glasner's strategy to domestic cup tournaments relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his first full season in command. Under Hodgson, the team had already been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner selected his first-choice team for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final tie ended in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a slightly controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at the interval. Now, Glasner must devise a strategy for payback against the present Premier League leaders in a fixture that was moved to this week owing to European commitments.

The Cost of Achievement and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own success. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the challenges of continental football for the very first time. These demands are catching up with several exhausted squad members, many of whom have barely had a rest all term.

The manager deployed an entirely different team, featuring four teenagers, in their final Conference League match. However, for the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "no option" but to pick the majority of his first-choice side, which looked decidedly jaded as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he said.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Team Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The manager must juggle his ambition to win a second major trophy with extreme pragmatism. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had made several changes for that cup match but was forced to introduce his "key players" after the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game unbeaten run versus Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and two in a subsequent league win before suffering a serious knee injury, looks set to start for the first time since that injury. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

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

With key players returning from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal present a formidable test for a Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the holiday period intensifies.