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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a quiet few days with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the campaign—a League Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. However, the idea that Palace could prioritize other tournaments was swiftly dismissed by their head coach.

"No, I don't think so," declared Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "If anyone tells me that we are defeated deliberately, the following day I'm no longer the coach any more."

There is a stark difference in Glasner's strategy to domestic cup tournaments versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his first full season in command. 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. In contrast, Glasner fielded his first-choice lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight tie concluded in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, due to a slightly debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at half-time. Now, Glasner now faces the task to devise a strategy for payback versus the present Premier League leaders in a match that was rescheduled to this week owing to European obligations.

A Price of Achievement and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has brought the demands of continental football for the very first time. These demands are catching up with several fatigued players, many of whom have barely enjoyed a rest all season.

The coach deployed an completely changed side, including four youngsters, in their final Conference League match. However, for 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 uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Team Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The boss must juggle his ambition to win a another major trophy with extreme practicality. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that League Cup match but was forced to introduce his "key players" after the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a decisive goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match unbeaten run against Palace, including 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 sustaining 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 means to him.

"We're used to it," said Arteta on the busy fixture list. "In my view this week was the only complete week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is will be similar. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be ready."

With important players returning from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal present a formidable challenge for a Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the festive period ramps up.