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

"No, I don't think so," remarked Glasner following his team's side's four-one loss to Leeds. "If anyone informs me that we lose on purpose, the next day I'm no longer the coach anymore."

There is a marked contrast in Glasner's philosophy to domestic cup competitions compared to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's journey to the League Cup quarter-finals in his debut complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had already been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner fielded his strongest team for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a showdown with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final match ended in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, following a somewhat debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at the interval. Now, Glasner now faces the task to devise a plan for revenge against the present Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week because of European commitments.

The Cost of Achievement and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own success. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the demands of European football for the very first time. These demands are catching up with some exhausted players, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a break all term.

The manager selected an entirely different side, featuring four teenagers, in their last Conference League match. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to choose the bulk of his first-choice side, which appeared extremely jaded as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Perspective and Team Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The boss must juggle his desire to win a second major trophy with extreme practicality. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented 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 set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match unbeaten run against Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and a brace in a later league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, looks set to begin for the first since then setback. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are used to it," said Arteta on the busy schedule. "I think this week was the only complete week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is going to be like this. We have a wonderful chance to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be prepared."

With important players coming back from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal present a formidable test for a Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the holiday period intensifies.