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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a restful period with his family in Austria before Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th game of the campaign—a League Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. However, the idea that Palace could prioritize other tournaments was quickly dismissed by their manager.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," stated 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 is a clear contrast in Glasner's approach to cup competitions compared to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his first full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner fielded his strongest team for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight tie ended in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a slightly debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at half-time. Now, Glasner must figure out a strategy for payback versus the current Premier League leaders in a match that was moved to this week because of European commitments.

A Cost of Success and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own success. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the challenges of continental football for the first time. These pressures are catching up with several fatigued players, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a rest all term.

The coach fielded an completely changed lineup, featuring four youngsters, in their final Conference League match. However, for the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "no option" but to choose 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, have to," he affirmed.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Selection Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The manager must juggle his desire to win a another major trophy with considerable practicality. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that cup tie but was compelled to bring on his "key players" following the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match winning streak against Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and a brace in a subsequent league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, looks set to start for the first since that setback. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are accustomed to it," said Arteta on the congested fixture list. "In my view this week was the sole full week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is going to be similar. We have a wonderful chance to go into the last four of a competition so we will be ready."

With key players returning from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal present a formidable challenge for a Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the holiday schedule ramps up.