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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a quiet period with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth game of the season—a League Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. However, the notion that Palace could focus on other competitions was quickly dismissed by their manager.

"No, I don't think so," stated Glasner after his team's side's four-one hammering to Leeds. "Should somebody informs me that we lose on purpose, the next day I'm no longer the manager anymore."

There exists a stark contrast in Glasner's approach to domestic cup competitions compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup last eight in his debut full season in command. Under Hodgson, the team had already been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner selected his best lineup for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a showdown with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight match concluded in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, following a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to devise a strategy for revenge versus the current Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week because of European commitments.

A Price of Success and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the challenges of European football for the very first time. These demands are catching up with several weary squad members, many of whom have hardly had a break all term.

The coach deployed an entirely different team, featuring four youngsters, in their last Conference League fixture. Yet, for the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to choose the bulk of his preferred team, which looked decidedly lethargic as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he stated.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Team Considerations

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

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that League Cup match but was compelled to bring on his "key players" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match winning streak versus Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and two in a later league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, is expected to start for the first since that setback. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're used to it," commented Arteta on the congested schedule. "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 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 advance, Arsenal present a daunting challenge for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the festive schedule ramps up.