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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a quiet period with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the campaign—a League Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace might prioritize other tournaments was firmly rejected by their boss.

"No, I don't think so," remarked Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 hammering to Leeds. "Should somebody tells me that we lose on purpose, the next day I'm no longer the manager anymore."

There exists a marked contrast in Glasner's philosophy to cup competitions relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's journey to the League Cup last eight in his first full season in command. Under Hodgson, the team had already been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner fielded his best team for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight match concluded in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, due to a somewhat controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at half-time. Now, Glasner must devise a strategy for payback versus the present Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week because of European commitments.

A Cost of Success and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own success. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the demands of continental football for the first time. These demands are catching up with some weary squad members, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a break all season.

The manager deployed an entirely different side, including four youngsters, in their last Conference League match. However, ahead of the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "no option" but to choose the majority of his first-choice team, which looked extremely jaded as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Perspective and Selection Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The boss must juggle his ambition to win a another major trophy with extreme practicality. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had made several changes for that cup tie but was forced to bring on his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game winning streak versus Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and a brace in a later league win before suffering a serious knee injury, looks set to start for the first time since then injury. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're used to it," commented Arteta on the busy schedule. "I think this week was the only complete week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is going to be similar. We have a beautiful chance to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be prepared."

With key players coming back from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal pose a formidable test for a Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the holiday schedule intensifies.