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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a quiet period with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the campaign—a League Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the notion that Palace could focus on other competitions was swiftly rejected by their manager.

"No, I do not believe that," stated Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 loss to Leeds. "Should anyone tells me that we lose deliberately, the next day I'm no longer the manager anymore."

There is a stark contrast in Glasner's approach to domestic cup tournaments compared to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup last eight in his first complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner picked his strongest side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a encounter with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight tie concluded in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a slightly debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at half-time. Now, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a plan for revenge against the present Premier League leaders in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week because of European commitments.

A Price of Success and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, 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 demands of continental football for the very first time. These demands are taking a toll on several fatigued players, many of whom have barely enjoyed a rest all term.

The coach selected an entirely changed team, including four teenagers, in their final Conference League match. Yet, for the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "no option" but to select the bulk of his preferred side, which appeared extremely lethargic as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Perspective and Selection Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The manager must balance his ambition to win a second major trophy with extreme pragmatism. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that League Cup tie but was forced to bring on his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match unbeaten streak against Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and a brace in a later league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, looks set to start for the first time since that setback. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the congested schedule. "I think this week was the only full week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is will be like this. We have a beautiful chance to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be ready."

With important players coming back from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal present a formidable challenge for a Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the holiday schedule intensifies.