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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a quiet few days with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the campaign—a League Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. However, the suggestion that Palace could focus on other competitions was swiftly dismissed by their head coach.

"No, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 hammering to Leeds. "Should somebody informs me that we lose on purpose, the following day I'm no longer the manager anymore."

There is a clear difference in Glasner's approach to domestic cup tournaments compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his debut full season 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 fielded his strongest lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a showdown with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight match ended in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a slightly debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must figure out a strategy for revenge against the present Premier League leaders in a fixture that was moved to this week because of European commitments.

A Cost of Success and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final has ushered in the rigors of continental football for the first time. These demands are taking a toll on some weary squad members, many of whom have barely had a rest all term.

The coach fielded an entirely changed team, including four teenagers, in their last Conference League fixture. However, ahead of the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to select the bulk of his first-choice team, which looked decidedly jaded as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

Arsenal's Perspective and Team Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The manager must juggle his desire to win a another major trophy with considerable pragmatism. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that cup tie but was compelled to introduce his "key players" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match winning streak versus Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and two in a subsequent league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, looks set to begin for the first time since then setback. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We are accustomed 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 beautiful opportunity to go into the last four of a competition so we will be ready."

Amid important players returning from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal present a formidable test for a Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the holiday schedule ramps up.