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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a quiet few days with his family in Austria before Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the campaign—a League Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace might focus on other competitions was firmly dismissed by their head coach.

"No, I don't think so," declared Glasner after his team's side's four-one hammering to Leeds. "If anyone tells me that we lose on purpose, the following day I'm no longer the manager anymore."

There exists a marked contrast in Glasner's philosophy to domestic cup tournaments compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's run to the League Cup quarter-finals in his debut full season in command. Under Hodgson, the club had already been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner picked his strongest side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a encounter with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final match ended in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, due to a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at the interval. Now, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a plan for revenge versus the current Premier League leaders in a fixture that was moved to this week owing to European commitments.

A Price of Success and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own success. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the challenges of continental football for the first time. These demands are taking a toll on some weary players, many of whom have barely had a break all season.

The coach selected an completely changed side, featuring four teenagers, in their last Conference League fixture. However, for the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "no option" but to pick the majority of his first-choice side, which appeared decidedly lethargic as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he stated.

Arsenal's Perspective and Selection Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The manager must balance his ambition to win a another major trophy with extreme practicality. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that League Cup match but was compelled to bring on his "key players" after the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a decisive goal in a move 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 run versus Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and a brace in a subsequent league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, looks set to begin for the first since that injury. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're used to it," said Arteta on the congested schedule. "I think this week was the only full week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is going to be like this. We have a wonderful chance to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be prepared."

Amid important players returning from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal pose a daunting test for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the festive period ramps up.