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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a quiet few days with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth fixture of the campaign—a League Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace might prioritize other competitions was swiftly dismissed by their head coach.

"No, I do not believe that," declared Glasner following his team's side's four-one hammering to Leeds. "If somebody informs me that we are defeated on purpose, the next day I'm no longer the coach any more."

There is a stark contrast in Glasner's philosophy to cup competitions relative to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup last eight in his first full season in command. Under Hodgson, the club had already been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner fielded his first-choice team for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a showdown with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final tie ended in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at half-time. Now, Glasner must figure out a strategy for revenge against the present Premier League pace-setters in a match that was moved to this week because of European commitments.

The Cost of Achievement and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the challenges of European football for the very first time. These pressures are catching up with several exhausted players, many of whom have barely enjoyed a break all term.

The manager deployed an entirely different team, including four teenagers, in their last Conference League fixture. However, ahead of the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "no option" but to select the bulk of his first-choice side, which looked decidedly lethargic as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Team Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The manager must juggle his desire to win a another major trophy with extreme pragmatism. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that cup match but was forced to introduce his "key players" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "incensed" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game winning streak versus Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and two in a subsequent league win before suffering a serious knee injury, looks set to begin for the first since that injury. 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 busy schedule. "I think this week was the sole complete week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is will be similar. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be ready."

With important players coming back from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal present a daunting challenge for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the festive period intensifies.