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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a quiet few days with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth fixture of the season—a League Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace might focus on other tournaments was firmly dismissed by their head coach.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," remarked Glasner following his team's side's four-one defeat to Leeds. "If anyone informs me that we are defeated on purpose, the next day I'm no longer the coach anymore."

There is a marked difference in Glasner's philosophy to domestic cup tournaments versus his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's journey to the League Cup last eight in his debut full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had already been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner selected his strongest team for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a encounter with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final match ended in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a slightly controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at half-time. Now, Glasner must devise a plan for revenge against the current Premier League leaders in a match that was rescheduled to this week owing to European commitments.

A Cost of Achievement and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own success. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the challenges of continental football for the first time. These demands are taking a toll on some weary squad members, many of whom have barely had a break all term.

The manager selected an entirely different lineup, featuring four teenagers, in their final Conference League fixture. However, for the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to select the majority of his first-choice team, which appeared extremely jaded as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Perspective and Selection Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The manager must balance his desire to win a another major trophy with considerable pragmatism. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that cup tie but was forced to bring on his "key players" following the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a decisive 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 unbeaten run versus Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and two in a later league win before suffering a serious knee injury, is expected to start for the first time since then injury. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're accustomed to it," said Arteta on the congested schedule. "In my view this week was the only complete week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is going to be like this. We have a wonderful chance to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be prepared."

With key players returning from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal present a daunting challenge for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the festive period ramps up.