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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a quiet period with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth game of the season—a League Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace could focus on other tournaments was firmly dismissed by their head coach.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," stated Glasner after his team's side's four-one loss to Leeds. "Should somebody informs me that we lose deliberately, the following day I'm not the coach any more."

There exists a stark contrast in Glasner's approach to cup competitions compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his debut full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner fielded his best side for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a showdown with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final tie ended in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, following a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a plan for revenge versus the current Premier League leaders in a match that was moved to this week because of European commitments.

The Cost of Achievement and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has ushered in the challenges of European football for the first time. These pressures are catching up with some fatigued players, many of whom have barely enjoyed a break all term.

The manager selected an completely different team, featuring four youngsters, in their final Conference League match. However, ahead of the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to select the majority of his first-choice side, which appeared decidedly jaded as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Selection Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The manager must balance his ambition to win a second major trophy with extreme pragmatism. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had made several changes for that cup tie but was forced to introduce his "key players" 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 possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match unbeaten run against Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and two in a later league win before suffering a serious knee injury, is expected to begin for the first time since then injury. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We are used to it," said Arteta on the congested fixture list. "I think this week was the only full week we had to prepare. The period 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 prepared."

Amid key players coming back from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal pose a daunting test for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the holiday period intensifies.