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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a quiet few days with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th game of the season—a League Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace might focus on other tournaments was firmly rejected by their manager.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," stated Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "Should somebody tells me that we lose deliberately, the next day I'm no longer the coach anymore."

There exists a stark difference in Glasner's approach to cup tournaments versus his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup last eight in his debut full season in command. Under Hodgson, the team had already been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner fielded his best lineup for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight match concluded in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, following a slightly debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must devise a plan for revenge versus the current Premier League leaders in a match that was moved to this week because of European obligations.

A Cost of Success and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own success. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final has ushered in the challenges of continental football for the very first time. These demands are taking a toll on several weary players, many of whom have barely enjoyed a rest all season.

The manager selected an entirely different side, featuring four youngsters, in their last Conference League fixture. However, for the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "no option" but to select the bulk of his preferred team, which looked decidedly lethargic as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he stated.

Arsenal's Perspective and Team Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The boss must balance his ambition to win a second major trophy with extreme pragmatism. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that League Cup match but was forced to introduce his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game unbeaten run versus Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and a brace in a later league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, is expected to begin for the first time since that injury. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are accustomed 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 like this. We have a wonderful chance 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 progress, Arsenal pose a formidable test for a Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the holiday schedule intensifies.