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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a restful period with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th game of the season—a League Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace might prioritize other tournaments was swiftly dismissed by their boss.

"No, I don't think so," remarked Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 loss to Leeds. "If anyone informs me that we are defeated deliberately, the next day I'm no longer the manager any more."

There exists a clear contrast in Glasner's approach to cup tournaments compared to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's journey to the League Cup quarter-finals in his first full season in command. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner selected his strongest lineup for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a showdown with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final match ended in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at the interval. Now, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a plan for payback against the current Premier League leaders in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week because of European obligations.

A Cost of Success and Continental Fatigue

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

The coach fielded an entirely different team, featuring four teenagers, in their last Conference League fixture. However, for the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to select the majority of his preferred team, which appeared extremely jaded as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he stated.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Team Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The boss must juggle his ambition to win a second major trophy with extreme pragmatism. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had made several changes for that League Cup match but was forced to introduce his "key players" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a decisive 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 are on an eight-match winning streak against Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and two in a later league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, is expected to start for the first since that injury. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're used to it," said Arteta on the busy fixture list. "I think this week was the only full week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is will be like this. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be ready."

Amid important players coming back from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal pose a formidable challenge for a Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the holiday schedule ramps up.