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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a quiet period with his family in Austria before Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth match of the campaign—a League Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. However, the suggestion that Palace could focus on other tournaments was quickly rejected by their boss.

"No, I do not believe that," stated Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "If anyone tells me that we lose on purpose, the following day I'm not the manager any more."

There is a clear contrast in Glasner's philosophy to domestic cup competitions relative to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's journey to the League Cup last eight in his first complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner picked his first-choice team for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final match ended in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at the interval. Now, Glasner must devise a plan for payback against the current Premier League pace-setters in a match that was moved to this week owing to European commitments.

A Price of Success and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own success. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the demands of European football for the very first time. These pressures are taking a toll on some weary players, many of whom have hardly had a rest all term.

The coach selected an completely different team, including four teenagers, in their final Conference League match. However, for the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to choose the majority of his preferred side, which appeared decidedly lethargic as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he stated.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Team Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The manager must balance his desire to win a another major trophy with extreme practicality. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered 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 compelled to bring on his "key players" after the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a decisive goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match winning run against Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and a brace in a later league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, is expected to begin for the first time since then setback. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are used to it," said Arteta on the congested fixture list. "I think this week was the only full week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is will be like this. We have a beautiful chance to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be prepared."

With important players returning from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal present a daunting test for a Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the festive schedule ramps up.