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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a restful few days with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth match of the campaign—a League Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. However, the idea that Palace could prioritize other tournaments was firmly dismissed by their boss.

"No, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner following his team's side's four-one defeat to Leeds. "Should somebody informs me that we lose deliberately, the following day I'm no longer the coach any more."

There is a clear contrast in Glasner's strategy to domestic cup tournaments compared to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup last eight in his debut complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had already been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner selected his best side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a encounter with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final tie concluded in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a slightly controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must devise a strategy for payback against the current Premier League pace-setters in a match that was moved to this week owing to European obligations.

The Price of Success and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the demands of European football for the first time. These pressures are taking a toll on some weary squad members, many of whom have barely had a break all season.

The manager deployed an entirely changed team, including four youngsters, in their last Conference League fixture. However, for the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to select the majority of his preferred team, which appeared extremely jaded as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he said.

Arsenal's Perspective and Team Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The boss must juggle his desire to win a second major trophy with extreme pragmatism. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that League Cup tie but was forced to introduce his "key players" after the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match unbeaten streak against Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and two in a subsequent league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, is expected to begin for the first time since that setback. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the congested schedule. "In my view this week was the only full week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is going to be like this. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be ready."

With important players coming back from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal present a formidable test for a Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the festive schedule intensifies.