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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a quiet period with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the season—a League Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace could prioritize other tournaments was swiftly dismissed by their boss.

"No, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 loss to Leeds. "If somebody informs me that we are defeated deliberately, the following day I'm no longer the manager any more."

There is a stark contrast in Glasner's approach to cup tournaments relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup last eight in his debut full season in command. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner selected his strongest side for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight tie concluded in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a plan for payback versus the current Premier League leaders in a match that was moved to this week because of European commitments.

A Cost of Achievement and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has brought the challenges of European football for the first time. These demands are catching up with several fatigued players, many of whom have barely had a break all term.

The manager deployed an entirely changed side, featuring four youngsters, in their last Conference League fixture. However, ahead of the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to pick the bulk of his first-choice side, which appeared decidedly lethargic as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he said.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Team Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The boss must juggle his desire to win a another major trophy with considerable practicality. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented several 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 "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match unbeaten run versus Palace, including 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 suffering a serious knee injury, looks set to begin for the first time since then injury. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are used to it," commented Arteta on the busy fixture list. "In my view this week was the only complete week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is going to be like this. We have a beautiful chance to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be ready."

Amid important players coming back from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal pose a daunting test for a Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the holiday period intensifies.