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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a quiet few days with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the season—a League Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. However, the suggestion 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 informs me that we lose on purpose, the next day I'm not the manager any more."

There is a stark contrast in Glasner's strategy to cup tournaments compared to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his debut complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner picked his strongest side for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a encounter with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final match ended in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, due to a slightly controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must figure out a strategy for payback versus the present Premier League leaders in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week owing to European obligations.

A Cost of Success and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own success. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final has brought the rigors of continental football for the first time. These demands are catching up with some weary players, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a rest all season.

The coach deployed an entirely changed lineup, featuring four youngsters, in their final Conference League match. Yet, for the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "no option" but to choose the majority of his first-choice side, which appeared decidedly lethargic as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he stated.

The Gunners' Perspective and Team Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The boss must juggle his ambition to win a another major trophy with extreme pragmatism. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that League Cup tie but was compelled to introduce 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 "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match unbeaten streak against Palace, featuring seven wins. 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, is expected to start for the first since that injury. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're used to it," commented Arteta on the congested fixture list. "In my view this week was the sole complete week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is going to be like this. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be ready."

Amid key players returning from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal pose a formidable challenge for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the holiday schedule ramps up.