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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a quiet period with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the campaign—a League Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. However, the notion that Palace might prioritize other competitions was swiftly rejected by their head coach.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," declared Glasner after his team's side's four-one loss to Leeds. "If anyone tells me that we are defeated deliberately, the following day I'm not the manager any more."

There is a marked contrast in Glasner's strategy to cup tournaments relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup last eight 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 by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner fielded his best lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight tie concluded in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a slightly debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must figure out a plan for revenge versus the current Premier League leaders in a fixture that was moved to this week because of European commitments.

The Cost of Achievement and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own success. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the rigors of continental football for the first time. These pressures are taking a toll on some exhausted squad members, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a break all season.

The coach fielded an completely changed team, including four teenagers, in their final Conference League match. However, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to choose the bulk of his first-choice side, which appeared decidedly lethargic as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he affirmed.

Arsenal's Perspective and Team Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The boss must juggle his ambition to win a another major trophy with extreme pragmatism. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that League Cup match but was compelled to introduce his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a decisive goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "incensed" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match winning streak versus Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and a brace in a subsequent league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, is expected to start for the first since that injury. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're used to it," commented Arteta on the congested fixture list. "I think this week was the only full week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is going to be similar. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the last four of a competition so we will be ready."

With important players coming back from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal present a formidable challenge for a Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the festive period ramps up.