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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a restful period with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the season—a League Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. However, the notion that Palace could focus on other competitions was firmly dismissed by their manager.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," declared Glasner following his team's side's four-one loss to Leeds. "Should anyone informs me that we are defeated deliberately, the next day I'm no longer the coach any more."

There is a clear contrast in Glasner's strategy to domestic cup tournaments compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his debut full season in command. Under Hodgson, the club had already been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner selected his strongest lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a encounter with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final tie ended in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a somewhat controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must devise a strategy for revenge versus the present Premier League pace-setters in a match that was rescheduled to this week because of European commitments.

The Cost of Success and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the demands of continental football for the first time. These demands are catching up with several exhausted squad members, many of whom have barely had a break all term.

The coach selected an completely changed team, including four youngsters, in their final Conference League match. Yet, for the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to pick the majority of his first-choice side, which appeared extremely jaded as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he affirmed.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Team Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The boss must juggle his ambition to win a another major trophy with extreme pragmatism. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had made several changes for that League Cup tie but was compelled to bring on his "key players" following the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game winning run against Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and a brace in a later league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, looks set to begin for the first time since then injury. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're used to it," commented Arteta on the congested fixture list. "In my view this week was the sole full week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is going to be similar. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be ready."

With important players returning from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal present a formidable challenge for a Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the holiday period intensifies.