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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a quiet period with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the campaign—a League Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace might focus on other competitions was swiftly dismissed by their manager.

"No, I don't think so," declared Glasner following his team's side's four-one defeat to Leeds. "If somebody tells me that we are defeated on purpose, the next day I'm not the manager any more."

There is a marked contrast in Glasner's strategy to cup competitions versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his first 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. In contrast, Glasner picked his strongest team for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final match concluded in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at the interval. Now, Glasner must figure out a strategy for revenge versus the current Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week owing to European obligations.

The Cost of Achievement and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own success. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the rigors of continental football for the first time. These demands are catching up with some fatigued players, many of whom have barely enjoyed a rest all season.

The manager deployed an entirely changed side, featuring four youngsters, in their last Conference League match. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to choose the majority of his preferred side, which looked extremely jaded as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he stated.

The Gunners' Perspective and Selection Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The boss must juggle his desire to win a another major trophy with extreme practicality. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had made several changes for that cup tie but was compelled to bring on his "key players" following the break. Saka came off the bench to set up 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 be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match unbeaten streak versus Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and two in a later league win before suffering a serious knee injury, looks set to begin for the first since that setback. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're accustomed to it," said Arteta on the busy schedule. "In my view 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 competition so we will be prepared."

With important players returning from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal present a formidable challenge for a Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the festive period ramps up.