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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a restful few days with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th game of the season—a League Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. However, the suggestion that Palace might prioritize other tournaments was firmly rejected by their head coach.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner after his team's side's four-one loss to Leeds. "Should anyone tells me that we lose deliberately, the following day I'm not the manager anymore."

There exists a clear contrast in Glasner's approach to cup tournaments versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's journey to the League Cup quarter-finals in his debut full season in command. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner picked his strongest team for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a encounter with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight tie ended in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, following a somewhat controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at the interval. Now, Glasner now faces the task to devise a plan for payback versus the current Premier League leaders in a fixture that was moved to this week owing to European obligations.

A Cost of Success and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has ushered in the demands of European football for the very first time. These demands are catching up with some fatigued players, many of whom have barely enjoyed a break all term.

The coach selected an entirely changed side, featuring four youngsters, in their last Conference League fixture. However, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to choose the majority of his first-choice side, which appeared extremely lethargic as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he said.

Arsenal's Perspective and Selection Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The boss must juggle his ambition to win a another major trophy with considerable practicality. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that League Cup tie but was forced to bring on his "key players" after the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial 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 have an eight-game unbeaten run against Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and two in a subsequent league win before suffering a serious knee injury, looks set to start for the first time since that setback. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're used to it," commented Arteta on the congested schedule. "I think this week was the sole full week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is going to be like this. We have a beautiful chance to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be prepared."

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