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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a restful few days with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth match of the campaign—a League Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. However, the suggestion that Palace could prioritize other tournaments was quickly dismissed by their boss.

"No, I do not believe that," declared Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 hammering to Leeds. "Should somebody tells me that we are defeated on purpose, the next day I'm no longer the manager anymore."

There is a clear difference in Glasner's strategy to cup tournaments compared to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his first complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had already been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner fielded his best team for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight tie concluded in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a slightly debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must figure out a plan for payback against the current Premier League leaders in a fixture that was moved to this week because of European obligations.

A Cost of Achievement and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own success. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final has brought the rigors of European football for the very first time. These demands are catching up with several fatigued squad members, many of whom have hardly had a rest all season.

The coach selected an completely different lineup, including four youngsters, in their last Conference League fixture. However, for the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "no option" but to choose the bulk of his preferred team, which looked extremely lethargic as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he affirmed.

Arsenal's Perspective and Selection Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The boss must juggle his ambition to win a second major trophy with extreme pragmatism. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that cup tie but was compelled to introduce his "key players" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "incensed" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game winning streak against Palace, including seven wins. 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 begin for the first time since that setback. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "touching" 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 only full week we had to prepare. 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."

Amid important players returning from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal pose a formidable challenge for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the festive schedule ramps up.