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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a restful period with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth match of the campaign—a League Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace could prioritize other tournaments was firmly dismissed by their head coach.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," stated Glasner following his team's side's four-one hammering to Leeds. "Should anyone informs me that we lose deliberately, the next day I'm not the manager any more."

There exists a marked contrast in Glasner's approach to domestic cup tournaments relative to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his debut full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner selected his first-choice lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final tie 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 must figure out a strategy for payback versus the present Premier League pace-setters in a match that was moved to this week owing to European obligations.

A Cost of Success and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the challenges of European football for the first time. These demands are taking a toll on some exhausted players, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a rest all season.

The coach deployed an completely changed lineup, featuring four teenagers, in their last Conference League match. Yet, for the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "no option" but to select the bulk of his preferred side, which looked decidedly jaded as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he stated.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Team Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The boss must balance his desire to win a another major trophy with considerable practicality. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that cup match but was forced to introduce his "key players" following the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match unbeaten run versus Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and a brace in a later league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, looks set to begin for the first time since that setback. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the congested schedule. "In my view this week was the sole complete week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is will be like this. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be prepared."

With important players returning from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal present a daunting challenge for a Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the festive schedule ramps up.