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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a restful few days with his family in Austria before Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth fixture of the season—a League Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace could prioritize other competitions was quickly dismissed by their head coach.

"No, I do not believe that," declared Glasner after his team's side's four-one loss to Leeds. "If anyone informs me that we lose deliberately, the next day I'm no longer the manager anymore."

There exists a clear difference in Glasner's approach to domestic cup tournaments relative to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his first complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the team had already been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner fielded his best side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight match ended in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, following a somewhat debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must devise a plan for payback against the current Premier League leaders in a match that was moved to this week because of European commitments.

A Cost of Success and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own success. Guiding 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 some weary squad members, many of whom have hardly had a rest all term.

The coach deployed an completely changed lineup, featuring four teenagers, in their final Conference League fixture. Yet, for the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "no option" but to select the bulk of his first-choice team, which appeared decidedly lethargic as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he stated.

Arsenal's Perspective and Selection Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The boss must balance his ambition to win a second major trophy with extreme practicality. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that cup match but was forced to bring on his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a decisive goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match unbeaten streak versus Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and two in a subsequent league win before suffering a serious knee injury, is expected to begin for the first time since then setback. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We are accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the busy fixture list. "I think this week was the only 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 last four of a competition so we will be ready."

Amid important players returning from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal pose a daunting test for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the holiday period ramps up.