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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a restful period with his family in Austria before Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth match of the campaign—a League Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. Yet, the notion that Palace might focus on other tournaments was quickly dismissed by their manager.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 loss to Leeds. "Should anyone tells me that we lose deliberately, the following day I'm not the manager any more."

There is a clear difference in Glasner's approach to cup competitions versus his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's run to the League Cup quarter-finals in his debut complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the club had already been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner picked his first-choice lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final match ended in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a somewhat controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at the interval. Now, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a plan for revenge against the current Premier League pace-setters in a match that was moved to this week owing to European commitments.

A Cost of Success and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the rigors of continental football for the first time. These pressures are taking a toll on some exhausted squad members, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a rest all season.

The coach fielded an entirely changed team, featuring four teenagers, in their final Conference League fixture. Yet, for the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "no option" but to pick the bulk of his preferred side, which looked decidedly lethargic as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he said.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Team Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The boss must balance his ambition 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 just days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that cup tie but was forced to introduce his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a decisive goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match winning run against Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and two in a subsequent league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, looks set to start for the first since that injury. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the busy schedule. "I think this week was the sole complete week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is will be like this. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be ready."

With key players coming back from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal pose a daunting challenge for a Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the festive period intensifies.