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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a restful few days with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the season—a League Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace might focus on other tournaments was firmly dismissed by their boss.

"No, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner following his team's side's four-one hammering to Leeds. "Should anyone informs me that we lose deliberately, the following day I'm not the coach anymore."

There is a stark contrast in Glasner's strategy to cup tournaments relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first 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 both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner picked his first-choice side for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a showdown with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final tie concluded in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a slightly controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to devise a plan for revenge against the current Premier League leaders in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week owing to European obligations.

The Price of Achievement and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has brought the demands of continental football for the first time. These pressures are catching up with several exhausted squad members, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a rest all term.

The manager selected an entirely different team, featuring four youngsters, in their last Conference League match. However, for the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "no option" but to select the majority of his first-choice side, which looked extremely lethargic as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he said.

The Gunners' Perspective and Team Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The manager must balance his desire to win a second major trophy with considerable pragmatism. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that League Cup tie but was compelled to bring on his "key players" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match unbeaten run 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 sustaining a serious knee injury, looks set to start for the first time since that injury. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are used to it," said Arteta on the congested fixture list. "I think this week was the sole full week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is going to be similar. We have a beautiful chance to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be ready."

Amid key players coming back from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal present a formidable test for a Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the holiday period intensifies.