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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a restful period with his family in Austria before Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth match of the campaign—a League Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. However, the suggestion that Palace could prioritize other tournaments was firmly rejected by their boss.

"No, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 hammering to Leeds. "Should somebody tells me that we are defeated deliberately, the next day I'm not the coach any more."

There exists a stark difference in Glasner's approach to cup competitions compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's run to the League Cup quarter-finals in his first full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner selected his best lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final tie ended in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, due to a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at the interval. Now, Glasner now faces the task to devise a strategy for revenge versus the current Premier League leaders in a match that was moved to this week because of European commitments.

The Price of Achievement and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own success. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the rigors of European football for the very first time. These pressures are catching up with some exhausted players, many of whom have barely had a break all term.

The manager deployed an completely different team, featuring four teenagers, in their last Conference League fixture. However, for the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to select the bulk of his first-choice side, which looked extremely lethargic as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he said.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Selection Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The manager must juggle his ambition to win a second major trophy with extreme pragmatism. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that cup match but was compelled to introduce his "key players" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match unbeaten streak versus Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and a brace in a later league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, looks set to begin for the first since that setback. Arteta disclosed 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. "In my view this week was the sole complete week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is going to be similar. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be prepared."

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