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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a quiet period with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th game of the season—a League Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. However, the notion that Palace could prioritize other competitions was quickly rejected by their head coach.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner after his team's side's four-one hammering to Leeds. "Should anyone tells me that we lose deliberately, the next day I'm not the manager anymore."

There exists a marked contrast in Glasner's strategy to cup tournaments compared to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup last eight in his first full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner fielded his best side for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a encounter with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final match concluded in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, due to a slightly controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at the interval. Now, Glasner must devise a plan for payback versus the current Premier League leaders in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week because of European obligations.

A Cost of Achievement and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has brought the challenges of continental football for the first time. These pressures are taking a toll on several fatigued players, many of whom have barely enjoyed a rest all season.

The manager deployed an entirely changed team, including four youngsters, in their final Conference League fixture. However, for the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "no option" but to pick the majority of his preferred side, which appeared extremely jaded as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Perspective and Team Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The boss must juggle his ambition to win a another major trophy with considerable pragmatism. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that cup match but was forced to bring on his "key players" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game unbeaten run versus Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and a brace in a later league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, is expected to begin for the first since that injury. Arteta disclosed the forward 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. "I think this week was the sole complete week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is going to be like this. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the last four of a competition so we will be ready."

Amid important players returning from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal pose a formidable challenge for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the holiday schedule intensifies.