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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a restful period with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth match of the season—a League Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace might focus on other competitions was firmly dismissed by their manager.

"No, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner after his team's side's four-one loss to Leeds. "If somebody tells me that we lose deliberately, the following day I'm not the manager anymore."

There is a stark difference in Glasner's strategy to domestic cup competitions compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup last eight in his first full season in command. Under Hodgson, the team had already been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner selected his best lineup for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a showdown with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight match concluded in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a somewhat debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at half-time. Now, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a plan for payback against the current Premier League leaders in a match that was moved to this week owing to European obligations.

The 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 victory in the FA Cup final has ushered in the challenges of European football for the first time. These demands are catching up with some exhausted squad members, many of whom have barely enjoyed a rest all term.

The coach selected an entirely changed lineup, featuring four teenagers, in their final Conference League match. However, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to select the bulk of his preferred team, which appeared decidedly lethargic as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he stated.

The Gunners' Perspective and Team Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The boss must juggle his desire to win a second major trophy with considerable pragmatism. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that cup match but was compelled to introduce his "key players" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a decisive goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "incensed" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match unbeaten streak versus Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and two in a later league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, is expected to begin for the first time since then injury. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're accustomed to it," said Arteta on the congested fixture list. "I think this week was the only full week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is will be like this. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the last four of a competition so we will be prepared."

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