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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a quiet period with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth fixture of the season—a League Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace might focus on other competitions was swiftly rejected by their manager.

"No, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner after his team's side's four-one defeat to Leeds. "If anyone informs me that we are defeated on purpose, the next day I'm no longer the manager anymore."

There is a clear difference in Glasner's philosophy to cup competitions relative to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup last eight in his first full season in command. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner picked his strongest lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a encounter with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final tie ended in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, due to a somewhat debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at half-time. Now, Glasner must figure out a plan for payback versus the current Premier League leaders in a match that was moved to this week owing to European commitments.

The Price of Success and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own success. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the rigors of European football for the first time. These pressures are taking a toll on some exhausted squad members, many of whom have barely enjoyed a rest all season.

The manager deployed an completely changed team, including four teenagers, in their last Conference League fixture. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "no option" but to choose the majority of his first-choice side, which looked extremely lethargic as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he stated.

The Gunners' Perspective and Selection Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The boss must balance his ambition to win a another major trophy with considerable practicality. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that cup match but was forced to introduce his "key players" following the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a decisive goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match unbeaten streak versus Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and two in a later league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, looks set to start for the first time since that injury. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the congested schedule. "In my view this week was the sole complete week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is going to be similar. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be ready."

Amid important players coming back from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal pose a formidable challenge for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the holiday period ramps up.