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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a quiet period with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the season—a League Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace might focus on other competitions was quickly rejected by their head coach.

"No, I do not believe that," stated Glasner after his team's side's four-one hammering to Leeds. "If anyone informs me that we lose deliberately, the following day I'm not the coach any more."

There exists a marked contrast in Glasner's strategy to domestic cup competitions compared 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 charge. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner fielded his best side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final match ended in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a somewhat debated 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 strategy for payback against the current Premier League leaders 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 achievements. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has brought the rigors of European football for the first time. These pressures are taking a toll on some fatigued squad members, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a break all term.

The manager fielded an entirely changed side, including four teenagers, in their last Conference League match. However, for the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to pick the bulk of his first-choice side, which looked extremely jaded as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he said.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Selection Considerations

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

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that League Cup match but was compelled to bring on his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a decisive goal in a move that left Glasner "incensed" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match winning streak against Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and two in a subsequent league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, looks set to begin for the first since then setback. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are used to it," commented Arteta on the busy schedule. "In my view this week was the only full week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is going to be similar. We have a wonderful chance to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be ready."

Amid key players coming back from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal pose a formidable challenge for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the holiday schedule intensifies.