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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a restful few days with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth fixture of the season—a League Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace might focus on other competitions was quickly dismissed by their manager.

"No, I do not believe that," stated Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 loss to Leeds. "Should somebody informs me that we are defeated deliberately, the following day I'm not the coach any more."

There is a marked contrast in Glasner's approach to domestic cup tournaments compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his first complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had already been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner picked his strongest side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final tie ended in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must figure out a plan for payback against the current Premier League pace-setters in a match that was rescheduled to this week because of European commitments.

The Cost of Success and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own success. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has ushered in the challenges of European football for the first time. These pressures are catching up with several fatigued players, many of whom have hardly had a rest all term.

The coach selected an entirely changed team, including four youngsters, in their final Conference League fixture. Yet, for the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "no option" but to pick the bulk of his preferred team, which looked extremely lethargic as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he said.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Selection Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The manager must balance his desire to win a second major trophy with considerable practicality. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that League Cup tie but was compelled to bring on his "key players" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a decisive goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game unbeaten streak versus Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and a brace in a later league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, is expected to begin for the first time since that injury. Arteta disclosed the forward 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 only complete week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is will be like this. We have a beautiful chance to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be ready."

Amid important players returning from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal present a formidable challenge for a Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the holiday schedule ramps up.