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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a restful period with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the campaign—a League Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace could focus on other tournaments was quickly rejected by their head coach.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," declared Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "If somebody tells me that we lose deliberately, the next day I'm no longer the coach any more."

There exists a stark difference in Glasner's approach to cup tournaments relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's journey to the League Cup last eight in his first full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had already been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner fielded his first-choice lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final match concluded in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a somewhat debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must figure out a plan for revenge against the current Premier League pace-setters in a match that was rescheduled to this week because of European commitments.

The Price of Achievement and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has brought the challenges of European football for the first time. These pressures are catching up with several fatigued squad members, many of whom have hardly 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 clash, he conceded he will have "no option" but to select the bulk of his preferred side, which looked decidedly lethargic as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he said.

Arsenal's Perspective and Selection Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The boss must juggle his desire to win a another major trophy with extreme practicality. 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 hopes.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that cup match but was compelled to bring on his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a decisive goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match winning streak versus Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and a brace in a later league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, looks set to begin for the first time since that injury. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're accustomed to it," said Arteta on the congested schedule. "I think this week was the sole complete week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is going to be similar. We have a beautiful chance to go into the last four of a competition so we will be prepared."

Amid important players returning from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal pose a formidable test for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the holiday period intensifies.