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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a quiet few days with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the campaign—a League Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. Yet, the notion that Palace might prioritize other tournaments was firmly rejected by their head coach.

"No, I don't think so," stated Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "Should anyone tells me that we are defeated on purpose, the next day I'm not the coach anymore."

There exists a marked difference in Glasner's approach to domestic cup competitions compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's journey to the League Cup quarter-finals in his debut complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the team had already been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner picked his first-choice side for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a encounter with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight match ended in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a somewhat controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at the interval. Now, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a plan for payback against the present Premier League leaders in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week because of European obligations.

A Cost of Success and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final has brought the demands of continental football for the first time. These pressures are taking a toll on several fatigued squad members, many of whom have barely enjoyed a rest all season.

The coach fielded an entirely different side, featuring four youngsters, in their last Conference League fixture. However, for the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "no option" but to choose the majority of his preferred side, which looked decidedly jaded as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he stated.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Selection Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The boss must balance his desire to win a another major trophy with considerable practicality. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that 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 in operation—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match unbeaten streak against Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and a brace in a later league win before suffering a serious knee injury, looks set to begin for the first since then injury. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We are used to it," said Arteta on the busy fixture list. "I think this week was the only full week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is will be similar. We have a beautiful chance to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be prepared."

With important players coming back from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal pose a formidable test for a Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the holiday period ramps up.