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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a quiet period with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the campaign—a League Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace might prioritize other tournaments was quickly dismissed by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," remarked Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "If somebody tells me that we are defeated on purpose, the next day I'm no longer the coach anymore."

There exists a marked contrast in Glasner's approach to cup competitions versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's run to the League Cup last eight in his first complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the team had already been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner fielded his strongest team for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a encounter with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final match ended in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at half-time. Now, Glasner must figure out a plan for payback versus the current Premier League leaders in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week owing to European commitments.

The Cost of Achievement and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own success. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has brought the challenges of European football for the very first time. These pressures are catching up with several weary players, many of whom have barely enjoyed a break all term.

The coach fielded an entirely changed team, including four youngsters, in their last Conference League match. However, for the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "no option" but to choose the majority of his preferred team, which appeared decidedly lethargic as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he stated.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Selection Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The manager must juggle his desire to win a another major trophy with extreme practicality. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that League Cup match but was compelled to introduce his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a decisive goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match winning run versus Palace, including seven victories. 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 then setback. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

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

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