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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a restful period with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth match of the campaign—a League Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. Yet, the notion that Palace might prioritize other competitions was firmly rejected by their head coach.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," declared Glasner after his team's side's four-one loss to Leeds. "Should anyone informs me that we are defeated deliberately, the next day I'm no longer the coach any more."

There exists a stark difference in Glasner's strategy to cup tournaments compared to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup last eight in his debut complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had already been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner selected his first-choice lineup for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a encounter with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight match ended in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a slightly controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at half-time. Now, Glasner must devise a strategy for payback versus the current Premier League pace-setters in a match that was moved to this week because of European obligations.

The Price of Success and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the challenges of continental football for the very first time. These demands are catching up with several weary squad members, many of whom have hardly had a break all term.

The manager selected an entirely changed side, including four teenagers, in their last Conference League fixture. Yet, for the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to choose the majority of his first-choice side, which looked decidedly lethargic as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he stated.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Selection Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The manager must juggle his desire to win a second major trophy with extreme pragmatism. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that cup tie but was forced to introduce his "key players" after the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a possible 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 victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and two in a subsequent league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, is expected to begin for the first since that injury. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We are accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the congested fixture list. "I think this week was the only complete week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is going to be similar. We have a beautiful chance to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be prepared."

Amid important players returning from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal pose a daunting test for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the festive period ramps up.