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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a quiet period with his family in Austria before Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th game of the campaign—a League Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. However, the notion that Palace might focus on other tournaments was firmly dismissed by their boss.

"No, I don't think so," remarked Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 hammering to Leeds. "Should anyone informs me that we are defeated deliberately, the following day I'm not the manager any more."

There is a marked difference in Glasner's approach to domestic cup competitions compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's run to the League Cup last eight in his debut full season in charge. 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. In contrast, Glasner fielded his strongest side for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight match ended in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a somewhat debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at half-time. Now, Glasner now faces the task to devise a plan for payback versus the present Premier League leaders in a fixture that was moved to this week owing to European commitments.

A Cost of Achievement and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, 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 very first time. These pressures are catching up with several exhausted players, many of whom have hardly had a break all season.

The coach deployed an entirely different lineup, featuring four youngsters, in their final Conference League fixture. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "no option" but to choose the majority of his preferred team, which appeared decidedly lethargic as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he affirmed.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Selection Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The manager must balance his desire to win a second major trophy with considerable practicality. Last year, a muscle 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 implemented a number of changes for that cup match 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 "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game unbeaten 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 long-term knee injury, is expected to start for the first since then setback. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

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

With important players returning from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal present a formidable test for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the holiday schedule ramps up.