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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a restful period with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th game of the campaign—a League Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. However, the notion that Palace might prioritize other tournaments was quickly dismissed by their manager.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," stated Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "If somebody informs me that we lose deliberately, the following day I'm not the coach any more."

There exists a marked contrast in Glasner's strategy to domestic cup competitions versus his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's run to the League Cup last eight in his first complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner fielded his best team for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final tie concluded in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, following a somewhat controversial 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 versus the current Premier League pace-setters in a match that was moved to this week owing to European commitments.

A Price of Achievement and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own success. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has ushered in the rigors of European football for the first time. These pressures are catching up with some weary squad members, many of whom have barely enjoyed a break all term.

The manager fielded an completely changed team, including four teenagers, in their final Conference League fixture. However, ahead of the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "no option" but to select the majority of his first-choice side, which appeared decidedly jaded as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he stated.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Team Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The manager must balance his desire to win a second major trophy with extreme pragmatism. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had made several changes for that cup tie but was compelled to bring on his "big-hitters" 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 potential offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game unbeaten run against Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and a brace in a subsequent league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, looks set to begin for the first time since then setback. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

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

Amid important players returning from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal present a formidable test for a Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the festive schedule ramps up.