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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a restful period with his family in Austria before Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the campaign—a League Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the notion that Palace might prioritize other tournaments was quickly dismissed by their head coach.

"No, I don't think so," remarked Glasner after his team's side's four-one loss to Leeds. "If somebody informs me that we lose deliberately, the next day I'm no longer the coach anymore."

There is a clear difference in Glasner's strategy to domestic cup competitions relative to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's journey to the League Cup quarter-finals in his first complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner picked his best team for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a showdown with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final tie ended in a 3-2 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 plan for payback versus the present Premier League pace-setters in a match that was moved to this week owing to European obligations.

A Price of Success and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the demands of continental football for the first time. These demands are taking a toll on some weary squad members, many of whom have hardly had a break all season.

The coach deployed an completely changed team, featuring four youngsters, in their last Conference League fixture. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to choose the majority of his first-choice team, which looked extremely jaded as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he said.

Arsenal's Perspective and Selection Considerations

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

Arteta had implemented several changes for that cup match but was forced to bring on his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a decisive goal in a move that left Glasner "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game unbeaten streak 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 sustaining a long-term knee injury, looks set to start for the first time since that injury. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are used to it," said Arteta on the busy schedule. "In my view this week was the sole complete week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is will be similar. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be prepared."

With key players returning from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal present a daunting test for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the festive schedule intensifies.