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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a quiet period with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the season—a League Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. However, the idea that Palace could focus on other tournaments was quickly rejected by their manager.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," stated Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 hammering to Leeds. "If somebody tells me that we lose deliberately, the following day I'm no longer the coach any more."

There exists a clear difference in Glasner's approach to domestic cup competitions relative to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's journey to the League Cup quarter-finals in his first complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been knocked out 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, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final tie concluded in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a somewhat controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at half-time. Now, Glasner must devise a strategy for revenge versus the current Premier League leaders in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week owing to European commitments.

A Cost of Success and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with victory 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 squad members, many of whom have barely had a break all term.

The coach deployed an entirely changed team, including four teenagers, in their final Conference League match. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "no option" but to select the bulk of his preferred side, which looked extremely lethargic as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he said.

The Gunners' Perspective and Team Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The manager must juggle his desire to win a another major trophy with considerable practicality. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that cup tie but was forced to bring on his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a decisive goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match winning streak versus Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and two in a subsequent league win before suffering a serious knee injury, is expected to begin for the first since that setback. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the busy fixture list. "I think this week was the sole complete week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is will be similar. We have a wonderful chance to go into the last four of a competition so we will be prepared."

With key players coming back from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal present a formidable challenge for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the holiday period ramps up.