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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a quiet few days with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the campaign—a League Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the notion that Palace could focus on other competitions was quickly dismissed by their manager.

"No, I don't think so," declared Glasner following his team's side's four-one defeat to Leeds. "Should somebody tells me that we lose deliberately, the following day I'm not the manager anymore."

There exists a marked difference in Glasner's strategy to domestic cup competitions compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's journey to the League Cup last eight in his debut full season in command. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner picked his first-choice side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a showdown with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight tie concluded in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a slightly controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to devise a plan for payback versus the present Premier League pace-setters in a match that was moved to this week because of European commitments.

The Cost of Success and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own success. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has ushered in the challenges of European football for the very first time. These demands are taking a toll on some fatigued squad members, many of whom have barely had a rest all term.

The coach fielded an completely different side, featuring four youngsters, in their final Conference League fixture. 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 decidedly jaded as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he said.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Team Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The boss must balance his desire to win a second major trophy with extreme practicality. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had made several changes for that League Cup tie but was compelled to bring on his "key players" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "incensed" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game unbeaten run versus Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and a brace in a subsequent league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, looks set to start for the first time since that setback. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are accustomed to it," said Arteta on the congested schedule. "In my view this week was the sole complete week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is will be similar. We have a wonderful chance to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be ready."

With important players returning from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal present a daunting challenge for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the festive period ramps up.