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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a quiet period with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth fixture of the season—a League Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. However, the notion that Palace could prioritize other tournaments was swiftly rejected by their manager.

"No, I don't think so," remarked Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 hammering to Leeds. "If anyone tells me that we lose on purpose, the next day I'm no longer the coach anymore."

There exists a marked contrast in Glasner's approach to domestic cup tournaments versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's journey to the League Cup quarter-finals in his debut full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner selected his first-choice lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight tie concluded in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at the interval. Now, Glasner must figure out a strategy for payback against the present Premier League pace-setters in a match that was moved to this week because of European commitments.

The Cost of Success and European Exhaustion

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 first time. These pressures are catching up with several weary squad members, many of whom have barely enjoyed a rest all season.

The manager fielded an entirely changed lineup, including four youngsters, in their final Conference League fixture. However, ahead of the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "no option" but to pick the bulk of his preferred team, which looked decidedly lethargic as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he said.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Team Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The manager must balance his ambition to win a another major trophy with considerable practicality. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that League Cup match but was compelled to bring on his "key players" following the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game winning run against Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and two in a subsequent league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, looks set to start for the first time since that setback. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are used to it," said 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 will be similar. We have a wonderful chance to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be prepared."

With important players coming back from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal present a formidable test for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the holiday period ramps up.