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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a quiet period with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th game of the season—a League Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. Yet, the notion that Palace might prioritize other competitions was firmly dismissed by their manager.

"No, I don't think so," stated Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 loss to Leeds. "If somebody informs me that we are defeated deliberately, the next day I'm no longer the manager any more."

There is a marked contrast in Glasner's philosophy to cup tournaments compared to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup last eight in his debut full season in command. 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. Conversely, Glasner selected his first-choice lineup for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a showdown with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final tie ended in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, following a somewhat debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must devise a plan for payback against the present Premier League leaders in a match that was moved to this week because of European commitments.

A Price of Success and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own success. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the rigors of continental football for the very first time. These pressures are catching up with some exhausted squad members, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a break all season.

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

Arsenal's Perspective and Team Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The manager must juggle his desire to win a second major trophy with considerable practicality. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that League Cup tie but was forced to bring on his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match winning streak against Palace, featuring 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 start for the first since then injury. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We are accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the busy schedule. "In my view this week was the sole complete week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is will be like this. We have a wonderful chance to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be ready."

With important players returning from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal pose a daunting test for a Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the festive schedule ramps up.