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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a restful period with his family in Austria before Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the campaign—a League Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. However, the notion that Palace might prioritize other competitions was swiftly dismissed by their boss.

"No, I don't think so," stated Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "If anyone informs me that we lose on purpose, the next day I'm not the coach any more."

There exists a clear difference in Glasner's approach to domestic cup tournaments relative to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup last eight in his first complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner fielded his best lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a encounter with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight tie ended in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at the interval. Now, Glasner must figure out a plan for revenge versus the current Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week owing to European obligations.

A Cost of Achievement and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own success. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final has brought the challenges of continental football for the very first time. These demands are taking a toll on some weary players, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a break all season.

The coach deployed an completely changed team, including four youngsters, in their last Conference League fixture. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to select the bulk of his first-choice team, which appeared extremely jaded as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Perspective and Team Considerations

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

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that League Cup tie but was compelled to bring on his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game winning run against Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and a brace in a later league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, is expected to begin for the first time since then setback. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're accustomed to it," said Arteta on the busy schedule. "In my view this week was the only full week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is going to be like this. We have a wonderful chance to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be prepared."

With key players returning from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal pose a formidable test for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the holiday schedule intensifies.