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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a quiet period with his family in Austria before Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th game of the season—a League Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. Yet, the notion that Palace might prioritize other competitions was firmly dismissed by their head coach.

"No, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "Should anyone informs me that we lose on purpose, the next day I'm not the manager any more."

There is a clear difference in Glasner's approach to cup competitions relative to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his first full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had already been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner selected his best team for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight tie concluded in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a slightly debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at half-time. Now, Glasner must devise a plan for revenge versus the present Premier League leaders in a fixture that was moved to this week because of European obligations.

The Cost of Achievement and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has brought the challenges of European football for the very first time. These pressures are catching up with some exhausted squad members, many of whom have barely had a rest all season.

The coach selected an completely changed lineup, featuring four teenagers, in their last Conference League match. However, ahead of the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "no option" but to select the bulk of his first-choice team, which looked extremely jaded as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Perspective and Selection Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The manager must juggle his ambition to win a second major trophy with considerable pragmatism. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that cup match but was compelled to bring on his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a decisive goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game unbeaten streak against Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and two in a later league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, is expected to start for the first since then injury. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are used to it," commented Arteta on the busy schedule. "In my view this week was the only complete week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is will be similar. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be prepared."

With important players coming back from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal pose a formidable challenge for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the holiday schedule ramps up.