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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a quiet period with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th game of the campaign—a League Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace might prioritize other tournaments was firmly rejected by their head coach.

"No, I don't think so," declared Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 loss to Leeds. "If anyone tells me that we are defeated on purpose, the next day I'm not the manager anymore."

There is a stark difference in Glasner's approach to domestic cup competitions versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup last eight in his debut complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner selected his first-choice team for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a encounter with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final tie concluded in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, due to a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at the interval. Now, Glasner must figure out a strategy for revenge against the present Premier League leaders in a fixture that was moved to this week because of European commitments.

A Price of Achievement and Continental Exhaustion

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

The coach selected an entirely different side, featuring four teenagers, in their final Conference League fixture. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "no option" but to choose the bulk of his preferred team, which looked extremely jaded as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he said.

Arsenal's Perspective and Selection Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The boss must juggle his ambition 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 comeback significantly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that cup match but was forced to introduce his "key players" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a decisive goal in a move that left Glasner "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match unbeaten streak against Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and a brace in a later league win before suffering a serious knee injury, looks set to begin for the first since that injury. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We are used 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 will be similar. We have a wonderful chance to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be ready."

With important players coming back from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal pose a daunting test for a Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the holiday period intensifies.