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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a quiet few days with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth match of the campaign—a League Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. However, the idea that Palace might prioritize other tournaments was swiftly rejected by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," declared Glasner following his team's side's four-one defeat to Leeds. "If anyone tells me that we lose on purpose, the next day I'm not the manager any more."

There is a clear difference in Glasner's strategy to domestic cup competitions relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his debut full season in command. Under Hodgson, the club had already been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner picked his best lineup for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a showdown with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final tie ended in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at half-time. Now, Glasner now faces the task to devise a plan for payback against the present Premier League leaders in a match that was rescheduled to this week because of European obligations.

A Cost of Success and European Exhaustion

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

The coach fielded an entirely changed lineup, including four youngsters, in their final Conference League fixture. However, for the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "no option" but to pick the majority of his preferred side, which appeared decidedly lethargic as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he said.

Arsenal's Perspective and Selection Dilemmas

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

Arteta had made several changes for that League Cup tie but was forced to introduce his "key players" after the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match winning run versus Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and two in a subsequent league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, looks set to begin for the first time since that setback. Arteta revealed 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 fixture list. "In my view this week was the sole complete week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is going to be similar. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be ready."

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