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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a quiet few days with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth fixture of the campaign—a League Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. However, the notion that Palace might focus on other competitions was quickly dismissed by their head coach.

"No, I don't think so," declared Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 loss to Leeds. "If somebody tells me that we lose on purpose, the next day I'm not the coach anymore."

There exists a stark contrast in Glasner's strategy to domestic cup competitions relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's run to the League Cup last eight in his first full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had already been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner picked his best lineup for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a encounter with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final tie concluded in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, due to a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to devise a plan for revenge against the current Premier League pace-setters in a match that was moved to this week owing to European commitments.

The Cost of Achievement and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final has brought the challenges of European football for the very first time. These demands are taking a toll on several exhausted players, many of whom have barely had a rest all term.

The coach deployed an entirely different team, including four youngsters, in their final Conference League match. However, for the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to choose the bulk of his first-choice side, which appeared decidedly lethargic as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he said.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Team Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The boss must juggle his desire to win a second major trophy with extreme practicality. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that cup match but was compelled to bring on his "key players" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a decisive goal in a move that left Glasner "incensed" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match unbeaten streak against 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, 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're accustomed to it," said Arteta on the busy fixture list. "I think this week was the sole complete week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is will be like this. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be ready."

With key players returning from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal present a formidable challenge for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the holiday schedule intensifies.