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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a quiet few days with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth game of the season—a League Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. Yet, the notion that Palace could focus on other tournaments was quickly dismissed by their boss.

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

There exists a marked contrast in Glasner's approach to domestic cup competitions versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's run to the League Cup last eight in his debut complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner picked his first-choice side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final match concluded in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a slightly controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at half-time. Now, Glasner must figure out a strategy for revenge against the present Premier League leaders in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week because of European obligations.

A Price of Achievement and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own success. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the rigors of continental football for the very first time. These demands are taking a toll on several exhausted squad members, many of whom have barely had a break all term.

The coach selected an completely changed lineup, featuring four teenagers, in their final Conference League fixture. However, for the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to select the majority of his first-choice team, which appeared decidedly jaded as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

Arsenal's Perspective and Team Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The manager must juggle his desire to win a another major trophy with extreme practicality. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that League Cup tie but was forced to introduce his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "incensed" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game winning streak against Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting 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 forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We are accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the congested fixture list. "In my view this week was the sole complete week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is will be like this. We have a wonderful chance to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be prepared."

With key players coming back from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal present a daunting test for a Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the festive period intensifies.