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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a quiet few days with his family in Austria before Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth fixture of the season—a League Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. Yet, the notion that Palace could focus on other competitions was quickly rejected by their manager.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner following his team's side's four-one defeat to Leeds. "If anyone informs me that we are defeated on purpose, the next day I'm no longer the manager anymore."

There exists a clear contrast in Glasner's philosophy to cup competitions relative to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his debut full season in command. Under Hodgson, the club had already been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner picked his first-choice lineup for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final tie ended in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a slightly controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at half-time. Now, Glasner must figure out a plan for payback against the current Premier League leaders in a match that was rescheduled to this week owing to European obligations.

The Cost of Success and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the rigors of continental football for the first time. These demands are taking a toll on some fatigued players, many of whom have barely enjoyed a break all term.

The manager selected an entirely different team, including four teenagers, in their last Conference League fixture. However, for the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to select the majority of his first-choice side, which looked decidedly jaded as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Selection Dilemmas

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

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that cup tie but was compelled to introduce his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka came off 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 scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match unbeaten run against Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and a brace in a subsequent league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, looks set to begin for the first time since that setback. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're used to it," said Arteta on the busy fixture list. "In my view this week was the only complete week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is going to 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 coming back from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal present a daunting test for a Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the holiday schedule ramps up.