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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a restful period with his family in Austria before Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the season—a League Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. Yet, the notion that Palace might focus on other tournaments was swiftly rejected by their head coach.

"No, I don't think so," declared Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "Should somebody informs me that we lose on purpose, the next day I'm no longer the manager any more."

There is a clear contrast in Glasner's approach to domestic cup tournaments compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup last eight in his first full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner picked his best team for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a encounter with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight match concluded in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must devise a strategy for payback versus the current Premier League leaders in a match that was moved to this week because of European obligations.

A Cost of Success and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own success. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has brought the rigors of European football for the first time. These pressures are taking a toll on some exhausted squad members, many of whom have hardly had a rest all season.

The manager selected an entirely different lineup, featuring four teenagers, in their final Conference League fixture. However, for the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "no option" but to choose the bulk of his preferred team, which looked extremely lethargic as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he stated.

The Gunners' Perspective and Selection Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The boss must juggle his desire to win a another major trophy with considerable pragmatism. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered 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 League Cup tie but was forced to bring on his "key players" following 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 scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match unbeaten streak versus Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and two in a later league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, is expected to start for the first since then setback. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're used to it," commented Arteta on the busy fixture list. "I think this week was the sole complete week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is going to be similar. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be prepared."

With key players coming back from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal present a daunting challenge for a Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the festive period ramps up.