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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a quiet period with his family in Austria before Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the campaign—a League Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. Yet, the notion that Palace could prioritize other competitions was firmly rejected by their boss.

"No, I don't think so," stated Glasner following his team's side's four-one loss to Leeds. "If somebody tells me that we lose deliberately, the following day I'm no longer the coach any more."

There exists a clear difference in Glasner's strategy to domestic cup tournaments versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's run to the League Cup last eight in his debut complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had already been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner selected his strongest team for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight match ended in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a slightly debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a plan for revenge versus the current Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week because of European commitments.

A Cost of Achievement and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own success. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the rigors of continental football for the very first time. These pressures are catching up with several weary squad members, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a break all season.

The manager fielded an entirely changed lineup, featuring four teenagers, in their last Conference League match. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to pick the majority of his first-choice team, which looked extremely jaded as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

Arsenal's Perspective and Selection Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The manager must balance his desire to win a another major trophy with extreme pragmatism. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly damaged their title aspirations.

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

Arsenal are on an eight-match unbeaten streak versus Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and a brace in a later league win before suffering a serious knee injury, looks set to begin for the first time since that injury. Arteta revealed 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 schedule. "I think this week was the only complete week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is will be similar. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be ready."

With important players coming back from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal pose a daunting challenge for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the holiday schedule intensifies.