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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a quiet few days with his family in Austria before Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth match of the season—a League Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. Yet, the notion that Palace might prioritize other competitions was swiftly rejected by their head coach.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," declared Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 hammering to Leeds. "Should somebody informs me that we lose deliberately, the next day I'm no longer the manager anymore."

There is a stark contrast in Glasner's strategy to domestic cup competitions compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's run to the League Cup quarter-finals in his first full season in command. Under Hodgson, the team had already been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner selected his best lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final match concluded in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at the interval. Now, Glasner must devise a plan for payback against the current Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week because of European commitments.

The Price of Success and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, 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 European football for the very first time. These demands are taking a toll on several weary squad members, many of whom have hardly had a break all season.

The coach deployed an completely changed lineup, featuring four teenagers, in their final Conference League fixture. However, ahead of the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to pick the bulk of his preferred team, which looked extremely jaded as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he said.

Arsenal's Perspective and Selection Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The manager must balance his desire to win a another major trophy with considerable pragmatism. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had made several changes for that cup tie but was compelled to introduce his "key players" following the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match winning run against Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and two in a later league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, looks set to start for the first since that injury. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the busy schedule. "I think this week was the sole full 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 last four of a competition so we will be ready."

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 period ramps up.