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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a quiet few days with his family in Austria before Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the season—a League Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. However, the suggestion that Palace could focus on other tournaments was swiftly dismissed by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," stated Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "Should anyone tells me that we are defeated deliberately, the following day I'm not the coach any more."

There is a stark difference in Glasner's approach to domestic cup tournaments compared to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his debut complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had already been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner picked his first-choice team for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a encounter with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight tie concluded in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to devise a strategy for revenge versus the current Premier League leaders in a match that was moved to this week owing to European commitments.

A Price of Success and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final has ushered in the demands of European football for the very first time. These demands are catching up with several exhausted players, many of whom have barely enjoyed a rest all term.

The coach fielded an entirely changed side, featuring four teenagers, in their last Conference League fixture. Yet, for the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to choose the bulk of his preferred team, which looked decidedly lethargic as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he said.

Arsenal's Perspective and Team Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The boss must juggle his desire to win a second major trophy with extreme practicality. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that cup match but was forced to bring on his "key players" after the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game unbeaten streak versus Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and two in a later league win before suffering a serious knee injury, looks set to start for the first time since that setback. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are used to it," commented Arteta on the congested fixture list. "I think 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 competition so we will be ready."

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