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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a restful few days with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the campaign—a League Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. However, the idea that Palace could focus on other tournaments was firmly dismissed by their manager.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," stated Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "If somebody tells me that we lose on purpose, the next day I'm not the manager any more."

There is a stark difference in Glasner's strategy to cup competitions relative to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his first complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been eliminated 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 victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight tie concluded 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. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must figure out a plan for payback against the present Premier League leaders in a fixture that was moved to this week owing to European commitments.

A Price of Achievement and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the rigors of European football for the first time. These demands are catching up with several fatigued squad members, many of whom have hardly had a break all season.

The manager deployed an entirely different side, including four youngsters, in their final Conference League match. Yet, for the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "no option" but to pick the majority of his preferred side, which looked decidedly jaded as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he said.

Arsenal's Perspective and Selection Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The manager must balance his ambition to win a second major trophy with considerable pragmatism. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had made several changes for that League Cup tie but was forced to introduce his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a decisive goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game winning run versus Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting 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 disclosed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the congested schedule. "In my view this week was the sole full week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is will be like this. We have a wonderful chance to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be ready."

Amid important players coming back from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal present a formidable test for a Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the festive schedule ramps up.