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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a restful few days with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth match of the campaign—a League Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. However, the idea that Palace might focus on other tournaments was quickly dismissed by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," stated Glasner after his team's side's four-one defeat to Leeds. "Should anyone informs me that we are defeated deliberately, the next day I'm not the coach any more."

There exists a marked difference in Glasner's philosophy to cup competitions versus his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's journey 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 fielded his first-choice lineup for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a encounter with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight match ended in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, following a slightly controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at the interval. Now, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a strategy for payback versus the current Premier League leaders in a match that was rescheduled to this week because of European commitments.

A Price of Success and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the rigors of continental football for the first time. These demands are catching up with some weary players, many of whom have hardly had a break all season.

The coach selected an entirely different team, including four teenagers, in their final Conference League fixture. Yet, 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 let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Perspective and Team Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The boss must balance his ambition to win a second major trophy with extreme pragmatism. 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 made a number of changes for that League Cup match but was forced to bring on his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a decisive goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game winning streak versus Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and two 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 "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We are accustomed to it," said Arteta on the busy schedule. "In my view this week was the sole full week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is going to be like this. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the last four of a competition so we will be ready."

Amid important players coming back from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal pose a daunting test for a Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the holiday period ramps up.