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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a quiet period with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth game of the campaign—a League Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace might focus on other competitions was swiftly rejected by their head coach.

"No, I don't think so," stated Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "If somebody informs me that we lose on purpose, the next day I'm not the manager any more."

There is a clear contrast in Glasner's philosophy to cup tournaments versus his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's journey to the League Cup quarter-finals in his first complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner selected his first-choice lineup for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final tie concluded in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a slightly controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at half-time. Now, Glasner now faces the task to devise a plan for revenge versus the current Premier League leaders in a match that was moved to this week owing to European obligations.

A Price of Success and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the rigors of continental football for the first time. These pressures are catching up with some weary squad members, many of whom have hardly had a break all term.

The manager fielded an completely changed side, featuring four teenagers, in their last Conference League fixture. However, ahead of the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to choose the bulk of his preferred team, which appeared decidedly jaded as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he stated.

The Gunners' Perspective and Team Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The boss must balance his desire to win a another major trophy with extreme pragmatism. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that League Cup match but was compelled to introduce his "big-hitters" after 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 potential offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game unbeaten run versus Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and a brace in a later league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, is expected to begin for the first since then injury. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

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

Amid key players returning from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal pose a daunting test for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the festive period intensifies.