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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a quiet period with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth game of the season—a League Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace could prioritize other tournaments was swiftly dismissed by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," declared Glasner after his team's side's four-one hammering to Leeds. "Should somebody tells me that we lose deliberately, the next day I'm no longer the coach any more."

There is a clear difference in Glasner's approach to domestic cup tournaments compared to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's run to the League Cup last eight in his debut full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner picked his best team for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight match concluded in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a strategy for revenge against the current Premier League pace-setters in a match that was moved to this week owing to European obligations.

A Price of Achievement and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the challenges of European football for the first time. These demands are taking a toll on some weary players, many of whom have hardly had a rest all term.

The manager fielded an entirely different team, featuring four youngsters, in their last Conference League match. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to choose the bulk of his preferred side, which looked decidedly lethargic as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he stated.

The Gunners' Perspective and Selection Considerations

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

Arteta had implemented several changes for that League Cup tie but was compelled to introduce his "big-hitters" following 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 situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game unbeaten run against Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and a brace in a subsequent league win before suffering a serious knee injury, looks set to start for the first time since then setback. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the congested fixture list. "I think this week was the only full week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is going to be similar. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be ready."

Amid important players returning from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal present a daunting challenge for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the holiday period intensifies.