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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a quiet period with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the campaign—a League Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. However, the idea that Palace might prioritize other tournaments was firmly dismissed by their head coach.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," declared Glasner following his team's side's four-one hammering to Leeds. "Should anyone informs me that we lose on purpose, the next day I'm not the coach any more."

There exists a clear difference in Glasner's approach to domestic cup competitions relative to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's journey to the League Cup last eight in his debut full season in command. Under Hodgson, the team had already been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner selected his first-choice side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a encounter with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight tie ended in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at the interval. Now, Glasner now faces the task to devise a plan for revenge against the present Premier League leaders in a match that was moved to this week because of European commitments.

A Cost of Achievement and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own success. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has ushered in the demands of European football for the first time. These pressures are taking a toll on several fatigued players, many of whom have barely enjoyed a rest all season.

The manager deployed an entirely changed lineup, featuring four youngsters, in their last Conference League fixture. Yet, for the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to select the majority of his preferred team, which appeared decidedly jaded as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he said.

The Gunners' Perspective and Selection Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The boss must juggle his ambition to win a another major trophy with considerable pragmatism. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had made several changes for that League Cup tie but was compelled to bring on his "key players" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "incensed" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game winning streak against Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and a brace in a later league win before suffering a serious knee injury, is expected to begin for the first since then setback. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the busy fixture list. "I think this week was the only complete week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is will be like this. We have a beautiful chance to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be ready."

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