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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a quiet period with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth match of the campaign—a League Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. However, the suggestion that Palace might focus on other tournaments was swiftly rejected by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," stated Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "Should somebody informs me that we lose on purpose, the next day I'm not the coach anymore."

There exists a clear difference in Glasner's strategy to cup competitions compared to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's run to the League Cup last eight in his debut complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner picked his strongest team for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight tie ended in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, following a somewhat controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must devise a strategy for revenge against the current Premier League leaders in a match that was moved to this week because of European obligations.

The Cost of Achievement and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the rigors of continental football for the first time. These demands are catching up with several fatigued squad members, many of whom have barely had a rest all season.

The coach deployed an completely different lineup, including four teenagers, in their final Conference League fixture. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "no option" but to pick the bulk of his first-choice side, which appeared decidedly lethargic as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he said.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Team Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The boss must juggle his ambition to win a second major trophy with extreme practicality. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that League Cup tie but was forced to bring on his "key players" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a decisive goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game winning run versus Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and two in a subsequent league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, is expected to begin for the first time since that injury. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We are accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the congested schedule. "In my view this week was the only 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 last four of a competition so we will be prepared."

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