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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a quiet few days with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth game of the season—a League Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. However, the suggestion that Palace might prioritize other competitions was swiftly rejected by their boss.

"No, I don't think so," declared Glasner following his team's side's four-one loss to Leeds. "Should anyone tells me that we are defeated deliberately, the following day I'm no longer the coach anymore."

There exists a stark difference in Glasner's strategy to cup tournaments relative to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup last eight in his first full season in command. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner picked his strongest lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight match ended in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at half-time. Now, Glasner must devise a plan for payback against the current Premier League leaders in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week because of European obligations.

A Price of Achievement and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the rigors of European football for the first time. These pressures are taking a toll on several weary players, many of whom have barely had a break all season.

The manager selected an entirely different side, including four youngsters, in their last Conference League match. Yet, for the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to choose the majority of his first-choice side, which appeared extremely jaded as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Selection Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The manager must balance his desire to win a another major trophy with considerable practicality. The previous season, a hamstring 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 implemented several changes for that League 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 crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match unbeaten streak versus Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and two in a later league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, looks set to start for the first since then injury. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're used to it," said Arteta on the congested schedule. "I think this week was the only complete week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is going to be similar. We have a wonderful chance to go into the last four of a competition so we will be ready."

With key players returning from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal present a formidable challenge for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the holiday schedule ramps up.