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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a quiet period with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth fixture of the season—a League Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace could focus on other tournaments was firmly rejected by their boss.

"No, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "Should somebody informs me that we are defeated on purpose, the next day I'm not the manager any more."

There exists a clear contrast in Glasner's approach to cup tournaments versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's run to the League Cup quarter-finals in his first full season in charge. 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 first-choice side for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a encounter with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight tie concluded in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a somewhat debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at the interval. Now, Glasner must devise a plan for payback against the current Premier League leaders in a match that was moved to this week owing to European commitments.

The Price of Achievement and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has brought the rigors of continental football for the very first time. These pressures are catching up with some fatigued players, many of whom have barely had a rest all season.

The coach selected an completely different side, featuring four youngsters, in their last Conference League match. However, for the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to pick the bulk of his preferred side, which appeared decidedly jaded as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he said.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Selection Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The manager must juggle his ambition to win a second 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 significantly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that League Cup match but was forced to bring on his "key players" after the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game winning streak versus Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and two in a later league win before suffering a serious knee injury, looks set to start for the first since then setback. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the busy schedule. "I think this week was the only complete week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is will be similar. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be ready."

With key players returning from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal present a formidable challenge for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the festive schedule ramps up.