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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a restful few days with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth match of the season—a League Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace could prioritize other tournaments was quickly rejected by their head coach.

"No, I don't think so," remarked Glasner following his team's side's four-one hammering to Leeds. "Should somebody informs me that we lose deliberately, the next day I'm not the manager any more."

There exists a marked contrast in Glasner's strategy to cup competitions compared to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup last eight in his debut full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had already been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner fielded his strongest side for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a encounter with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final tie ended in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a slightly debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must figure out a strategy for revenge against the current Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week owing to European obligations.

The Cost of Achievement and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own success. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has ushered in the rigors of European football for the very first time. These demands are taking a toll on some exhausted squad members, many of whom have barely enjoyed a break all season.

The manager fielded an entirely different side, including four youngsters, in their final Conference League fixture. Yet, for the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "no option" but to select the majority of his first-choice team, which looked extremely lethargic as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he stated.

Arsenal's Perspective and Selection Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The manager must balance his desire to win a second major trophy with considerable pragmatism. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that cup tie but was compelled to introduce his "big-hitters" 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 possible offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game unbeaten run versus Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and two in a subsequent league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, looks set to start for the first time since then setback. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are used to it," commented Arteta on the congested fixture list. "I think this week was the only complete week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is going to be like this. We have a beautiful chance to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be prepared."

Amid key players coming back from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal present a daunting test for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the festive schedule ramps up.