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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 twenty-ninth match of the campaign—a League Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace might prioritize other tournaments was swiftly dismissed by their head coach.

"No, I don't think so," remarked Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "If anyone informs me that we are defeated on purpose, the next day I'm no longer the manager anymore."

There is a stark contrast in Glasner's strategy to cup tournaments compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's journey to the League Cup last eight in his debut full season 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 team for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final tie concluded in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a somewhat controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to devise a strategy for revenge versus the current Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was moved to this week because of European obligations.

A Cost of Achievement and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the rigors of European football for the very first time. These pressures are catching up with some fatigued players, many of whom have barely had a rest all term.

The manager selected an completely changed side, including four youngsters, in their last Conference League match. However, ahead of the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "no option" but to select the majority of his first-choice side, which appeared decidedly lethargic as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Team Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The boss 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 fightback greatly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that cup tie but was compelled to introduce his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka was introduced from 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 be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game unbeaten run against Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and two in a subsequent league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, looks set to start for the first since that setback. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

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

Amid important players coming back from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal present a daunting test for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the holiday period intensifies.