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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a quiet period with his family in Austria before Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth game of the campaign—a League Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. However, the notion that Palace could focus on other tournaments was quickly dismissed by their manager.

"No, I don't think so," remarked Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "If anyone tells me that we are defeated on purpose, the following day I'm no longer the manager any more."

There exists a marked difference in Glasner's philosophy to domestic cup tournaments compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his first full season in command. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner selected his best lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a showdown with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight match ended in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a somewhat controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at half-time. Now, Glasner must figure out a strategy for revenge versus the current Premier League leaders in a match that was moved to this week owing to European commitments.

A Cost of Achievement and Continental 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 demands of European football for the very first time. These demands are catching up with some weary players, many of whom have barely enjoyed a rest all season.

The coach fielded an completely changed team, featuring four youngsters, in their last Conference League fixture. However, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to pick the bulk of his first-choice team, which appeared extremely jaded as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

Arsenal's Perspective and Selection Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The boss must juggle his desire to win a another major trophy with considerable pragmatism. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that cup tie but was forced to introduce his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "incensed" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game winning run versus Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and two 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 forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the congested schedule. "I think this week was the only complete week we had to prepare. The period 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 progress, Arsenal present a daunting challenge for a Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the holiday period intensifies.