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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a quiet few days with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth match of the season—a League Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. However, the idea that Palace could prioritize other competitions was firmly dismissed by their head coach.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," declared Glasner after his team's side's four-one defeat to Leeds. "If somebody tells me that we are defeated deliberately, the next day I'm no longer the coach anymore."

There exists a stark difference in Glasner's approach to domestic cup tournaments compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup last eight in his debut complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had already been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner selected his first-choice team for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a encounter with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight tie concluded in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, following a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at the interval. Now, Glasner must devise a plan for payback against the present Premier League leaders in a match that was moved to this week owing to European obligations.

The Cost of Success and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the challenges of European football for the very first time. These demands are catching up with some weary squad members, many of whom have hardly had a break all term.

The manager deployed an entirely changed team, featuring four teenagers, in their last Conference League fixture. Yet, for the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "no option" but to pick the majority of his preferred team, which looked extremely jaded as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Perspective and Team Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The manager must juggle his desire to win a another major trophy with considerable pragmatism. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that cup tie but was forced to bring on his "key players" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match winning streak versus Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and two in a subsequent league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, looks set to start for the first since then setback. 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 sole full week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is going to be like this. We have a beautiful chance to go into the last four of a competition so we will be prepared."

Amid key players returning from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal pose a daunting challenge for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the festive schedule intensifies.