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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a restful few days with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth game of the campaign—a League Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the notion that Palace could focus on other competitions was firmly dismissed by their manager.

"No, I don't think so," declared Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 loss to Leeds. "Should anyone informs me that we are defeated deliberately, the next day I'm no longer the manager anymore."

There is a clear difference in Glasner's philosophy to cup competitions compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's journey to the League Cup quarter-finals in his first full season in command. Under Hodgson, the team had already been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner selected his first-choice lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a encounter with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final match ended in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, due to a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at half-time. Now, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a plan for payback versus the current Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was moved to this week because of European commitments.

The Price of Success and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has brought the rigors of continental football for the first time. These pressures are taking a toll on some fatigued squad members, many of whom have barely enjoyed a break all term.

The manager selected an entirely different team, including four teenagers, in their final Conference League fixture. Yet, for the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "no option" but to pick the bulk of his first-choice side, which looked extremely jaded as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he affirmed.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Selection Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The manager must balance his ambition to win a another major trophy with considerable practicality. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly damaged their title hopes.

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 crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "incensed" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match winning streak against Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and a brace in a later league win before suffering a serious knee injury, is expected to start for the first since then setback. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're used to it," said Arteta on the busy fixture list. "In my view this week was the sole complete week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is will be similar. We have a beautiful chance to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be ready."

With key players coming back from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal pose a daunting test for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the holiday schedule intensifies.