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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a quiet period with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the season—a League Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. However, the suggestion that Palace could focus on other tournaments was firmly rejected by their manager.

"No, I do not believe that," stated Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "If somebody informs me that we are defeated deliberately, the following day I'm not the manager anymore."

There is a clear difference in Glasner's philosophy to cup tournaments relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his first complete campaign 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 fielded his first-choice side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final match concluded in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, following a somewhat debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at half-time. Now, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a strategy for payback against the current Premier League leaders in a match that was rescheduled to this week because of European commitments.

A Cost of Achievement and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own success. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the challenges of European football for the very first time. These demands are taking a toll on several weary players, many of whom have barely enjoyed a break all season.

The coach deployed an entirely different lineup, featuring four teenagers, in their last Conference League fixture. However, for the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "no option" but to pick the majority of his first-choice team, which appeared decidedly lethargic as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he said.

The Gunners' Perspective and Selection Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The boss must balance his desire to win a second major trophy with extreme pragmatism. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that cup match but was forced to bring on his "key players" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a decisive goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game winning streak 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 sustaining a serious 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're accustomed to it," said Arteta on the busy fixture list. "In my view this week was the only complete week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is going to be similar. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be prepared."

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