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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a quiet few days with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the season—a League Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace might prioritize other tournaments was swiftly rejected by their manager.

"No, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 hammering to Leeds. "If somebody tells me that we are defeated deliberately, the following day I'm not the coach anymore."

There exists a clear contrast in Glasner's strategy to cup competitions compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup last eight in his first complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the team had already been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner fielded his first-choice side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a showdown with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight tie concluded in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a slightly controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a strategy for payback against the current Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was moved to this week owing to European commitments.

The Cost of Achievement and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the demands of European football for the first time. These pressures are catching up with several fatigued squad members, many of whom have hardly had a rest all season.

The coach deployed an completely different side, including four teenagers, in their final Conference League fixture. However, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to choose the majority of his first-choice team, which appeared extremely lethargic as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he said.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Selection Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The boss must juggle his ambition to win a another major trophy with considerable pragmatism. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly harmed their title aspirations.

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

Arsenal have an eight-match unbeaten run against Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and two in a subsequent league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, is expected to start for the first time since that setback. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're used to it," commented Arteta on the congested fixture list. "In my view this week was the only full week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is will be similar. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the last four of a competition so we will be ready."

Amid key players returning from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal present a daunting challenge for a Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the festive period intensifies.