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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a quiet period with his family in Austria before Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th game of the season—a League Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. However, the notion that Palace might focus on other competitions was swiftly rejected by their boss.

"No, I do not believe that," stated Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 hammering to Leeds. "Should anyone informs me that we lose deliberately, the next day I'm no longer the manager anymore."

There is a stark difference in Glasner's strategy to cup tournaments relative to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's run to the League Cup last eight in his first complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner picked his first-choice side for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a showdown with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final tie concluded in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at half-time. Now, Glasner must figure out a strategy for revenge against the present Premier League leaders in a match that was rescheduled to this week owing to European commitments.

The Cost of Success and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own success. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final has ushered in the challenges of continental football for the very first time. These demands are taking a toll on some exhausted players, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a rest all season.

The manager deployed an entirely changed team, including four teenagers, in their last Conference League match. However, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to pick the bulk of his preferred side, which looked decidedly lethargic as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he said.

Arsenal's Perspective and Team Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The boss must balance his ambition to win a second major trophy with considerable practicality. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly harmed their title aspirations.

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

Arsenal are on an eight-game unbeaten streak against Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and two in a later league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, looks set to begin for the first time since that injury. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are used to it," said Arteta on the congested fixture list. "In my view this week was the only full week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is will be similar. We have a beautiful chance to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be ready."

With important players returning from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal pose a daunting test for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the holiday period intensifies.