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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a quiet period with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth game of the campaign—a League Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace might prioritize other tournaments was firmly dismissed by their head coach.

"No, I do not believe that," declared Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 loss to Leeds. "Should somebody tells me that we are defeated on purpose, the following day I'm not the coach any more."

There is a marked contrast in Glasner's philosophy to cup competitions relative to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup last eight in his first full season in command. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner selected his strongest side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a encounter with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight tie concluded in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a somewhat controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at the interval. Now, Glasner must devise a plan for payback against the current Premier League leaders in a match that was moved to this week owing to European obligations.

The Price of Achievement and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has ushered in the demands of European football for the very first time. These pressures are taking a toll on some exhausted players, many of whom have barely had a rest all season.

The coach fielded an entirely changed team, including four teenagers, in their last Conference League match. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to select the majority of his first-choice side, which looked extremely lethargic as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he affirmed.

Arsenal's Perspective and Team Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The boss must juggle his desire to win a another major trophy with extreme practicality. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly harmed 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 assist Jesus for a decisive goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game unbeaten streak against Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and two in a later league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, looks set to begin for the first time since that injury. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're accustomed to it," said Arteta on the busy schedule. "I think this week was the only complete week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is going to be like this. We have a beautiful chance to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be prepared."

With important players coming back from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal pose a daunting challenge for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the holiday period intensifies.