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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a quiet few days with his family in Austria before Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th game of the season—a League Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. However, the notion that Palace could focus on other competitions was swiftly rejected by their manager.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," stated Glasner following his team's side's four-one defeat to Leeds. "If anyone informs me that we are defeated deliberately, the following day I'm no longer the manager any more."

There exists a marked contrast in Glasner's strategy to cup competitions compared to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's run to the League Cup quarter-finals in his debut full season in command. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner picked his strongest team for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight tie concluded in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a somewhat controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at half-time. Now, Glasner must figure out a plan for payback versus the present Premier League leaders in a fixture that was moved to this week owing to European commitments.

The Cost of Achievement and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the challenges of European football for the very first time. These pressures are catching up with some weary squad members, many of whom have barely enjoyed a break all season.

The manager fielded an entirely changed lineup, including four teenagers, in their final Conference League fixture. Yet, for the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to select the majority of his first-choice team, which appeared decidedly lethargic as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he stated.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Team Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The boss must balance his desire to win a another major trophy with considerable practicality. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that League Cup match but was forced to bring on his "key players" after the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game winning streak against Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and a brace in a later league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, is expected to start for the first since that setback. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We are used to it," commented Arteta on the congested fixture list. "In my view this week was the only full week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is will be similar. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be ready."

With important players coming back from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal pose a formidable test for a Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the holiday period ramps up.