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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a restful few days with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the season—a League Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. However, the idea that Palace might prioritize other competitions was firmly rejected by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," remarked Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 hammering to Leeds. "Should anyone tells me that we are defeated deliberately, the next day I'm no longer the manager any more."

There exists a clear difference in Glasner's approach to domestic cup tournaments compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his first full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had already been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner selected his strongest side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a encounter with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight match concluded in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, following a somewhat debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a strategy for payback against the current Premier League leaders in a match that was rescheduled to this week owing to European obligations.

A Cost of Achievement and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has ushered in the challenges of European football for the very first time. These demands are catching up with several weary players, many of whom have barely had a rest all term.

The manager selected an entirely changed lineup, including four youngsters, in their last Conference League match. Yet, for the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to choose the bulk of his first-choice side, which looked extremely jaded as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he stated.

Arsenal's Perspective and Team Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The manager must juggle his desire to win a another major trophy with extreme pragmatism. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that cup match 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 scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game unbeaten run versus Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and two in a subsequent league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, is expected to start for the first since then injury. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are used to it," commented Arteta on the congested schedule. "I think this week was the only complete week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is going to be similar. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be ready."

Amid important players coming back from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal present a daunting test for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the holiday schedule intensifies.