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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a quiet period with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth match of the campaign—a League Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. However, the suggestion that Palace might prioritize other competitions was quickly rejected by their head coach.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," stated Glasner after his team's side's four-one hammering to Leeds. "Should anyone tells me that we lose deliberately, the next day I'm no longer the manager any more."

There exists a clear difference in Glasner's strategy to cup tournaments versus his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's run to the League Cup quarter-finals in his first full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner picked his best side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final match ended in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at half-time. Now, Glasner must figure out a strategy for payback versus the current Premier League pace-setters in a match that was rescheduled to this week owing to European obligations.

A Cost of Achievement and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own success. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final has brought the challenges of continental football for the very first time. These pressures are taking a toll on some weary players, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a break all term.

The coach deployed an entirely changed team, including four youngsters, in their last Conference League fixture. Yet, for the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to choose the bulk of his preferred team, which looked decidedly jaded as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he stated.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Selection Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The manager must balance his ambition to win a second major trophy with extreme practicality. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had made several changes for that League Cup tie but was compelled to bring on his "key players" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game unbeaten streak against Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and a brace in a later league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, is expected to begin for the first since that injury. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're used to it," commented Arteta on the busy fixture list. "In my view this week was the sole complete week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is going to be similar. We have a wonderful chance to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be prepared."

Amid key players coming back from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal pose a formidable test for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the festive schedule ramps up.