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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a restful few days with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth game of the campaign—a League Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. However, the notion that Palace could prioritize other competitions was swiftly rejected by their manager.

"No, I don't think so," stated Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "Should somebody informs me that we are defeated on purpose, the following day I'm not the manager anymore."

There exists a clear difference in Glasner's approach to cup tournaments versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's run to the League Cup quarter-finals in his first full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had already been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner picked his strongest team for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a encounter with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final match ended in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, due to a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must devise a strategy for revenge against the current Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was moved to this week because of European obligations.

A Price of Achievement and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own success. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the challenges of continental football for the very first time. These demands are taking a toll on some weary squad members, many of whom have barely had a break all term.

The manager selected an completely changed lineup, featuring four youngsters, in their last Conference League fixture. However, for the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "no option" but to select the majority of his preferred team, which looked decidedly lethargic as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he affirmed.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Team Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The manager must balance his ambition to win a another major trophy with considerable practicality. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that League Cup match but was forced to bring on his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "incensed" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match unbeaten streak versus Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and a brace in a later league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, looks set to start for the first time since then injury. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are used to it," said Arteta on the busy schedule. "In my view this week was the sole full week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is going to be like this. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be prepared."

With key players returning from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal pose a daunting challenge for a Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the festive period intensifies.