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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a restful period with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth fixture of the campaign—a League Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. However, the notion that Palace could focus on other tournaments was swiftly rejected by their manager.

"No, I do not believe that," declared Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "If somebody tells me that we lose on purpose, the following 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 first was evident during Palace's journey to the League Cup last eight in his first complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the team had already been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner fielded his first-choice side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a encounter with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final tie ended in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, following a slightly debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at half-time. Now, Glasner now faces the task to devise a plan for revenge versus the present Premier League leaders in a match that was rescheduled to this week owing to European commitments.

The Cost of Success and Continental Fatigue

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

The coach selected an entirely changed team, including four teenagers, in their last Conference League fixture. Yet, for the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "no option" but to choose the bulk of his preferred team, which looked decidedly lethargic as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he stated.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Team Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The boss must balance 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 against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that cup tie but was compelled to introduce his "key players" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a decisive goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game unbeaten run against Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and a brace in a subsequent league win before suffering a serious knee injury, looks set to start for the first since that setback. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the busy fixture list. "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 last four of a competition so we will be ready."

Amid important players coming back from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal pose a formidable test for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the holiday period intensifies.