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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a restful period with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the season—a League Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace could focus on other competitions was swiftly rejected by their head coach.

"No, I do not believe that," declared Glasner after his team's side's four-one hammering to Leeds. "If somebody tells me that we are defeated on purpose, the following day I'm not the coach any more."

There exists a stark contrast in Glasner's philosophy to cup competitions compared to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his debut complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had already been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner picked his best lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final match concluded in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at the interval. Now, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a strategy for payback versus the current Premier League leaders in a fixture that was moved to this week because of European obligations.

The Cost of Achievement and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own success. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has brought the rigors of European football for the first time. These pressures are taking a toll on several fatigued squad members, many of whom have barely had a rest all term.

The manager selected an completely changed side, including four youngsters, in their last Conference League match. However, ahead of the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to pick the bulk of his first-choice team, which appeared decidedly jaded as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he stated.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Selection Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The manager must balance his ambition to win a second major trophy with extreme pragmatism. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that League Cup match but was forced to introduce his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a decisive goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have 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 a brace in a later league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, is expected to begin for the first time since that injury. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are used to it," commented Arteta on the busy fixture list. "I think this week was the only complete week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is going to be like this. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be prepared."

With important players coming back from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal present a daunting challenge for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the holiday schedule ramps up.