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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a quiet period with his family in Austria before Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the season—a League Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace could focus on other tournaments was swiftly dismissed by their manager.

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

There exists a stark contrast in Glasner's strategy to domestic cup competitions compared to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's journey to the League Cup quarter-finals in his debut full season in command. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner picked his strongest team for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight match ended in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, following a somewhat debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at the interval. Now, Glasner now faces the task to devise a plan for revenge against the present Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was moved to this week owing to European obligations.

The Cost of Success and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the challenges of European football for the very first time. These demands are catching up with some fatigued players, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a break all season.

The coach fielded an entirely changed side, including four youngsters, in their final Conference League fixture. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "no option" but to pick the bulk of his first-choice team, which appeared extremely lethargic as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he said.

Arsenal's Perspective and Team Considerations

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

Arteta had made several changes for that League Cup tie but was compelled to bring on his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a decisive goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match unbeaten run versus Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and a brace in a later league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, is expected to begin for the first since then injury. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're used to it," commented Arteta on the congested schedule. "In my view this week was the sole complete week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is will be similar. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be ready."

With key players coming back from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal present a daunting challenge for a Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the holiday schedule ramps up.