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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a restful few days with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth fixture of the season—a League Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. However, the notion that Palace might prioritize other tournaments was firmly rejected by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," declared Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "Should somebody informs me that we are defeated on purpose, the next day I'm not the coach anymore."

There exists a marked difference in Glasner's strategy to domestic cup tournaments compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup last eight in his debut complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the club had already 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 strongest side for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final tie concluded in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a somewhat debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a plan for revenge versus the current Premier League pace-setters in a match that was moved to this week because of European obligations.

A Price of Achievement 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 subsequently ushered in the demands of continental football for the first time. These demands are catching up with several fatigued players, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a break all term.

The manager selected an completely changed side, featuring four teenagers, in their last Conference League fixture. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "no option" but to select the majority of his first-choice side, which appeared extremely lethargic as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he stated.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Team Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The boss must juggle his desire to win a another major trophy with extreme pragmatism. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had made several changes for that cup match but was compelled to bring on his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game winning streak versus Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and a brace in a later league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, looks set to start for the first since that injury. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're used to it," commented Arteta on the congested fixture list. "I think this week was the only 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 semi-final of a competition so we will be prepared."

Amid key players coming back from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal pose a formidable challenge for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the holiday schedule ramps up.