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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a quiet few days with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the campaign—a League Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. However, the idea that Palace could focus on other tournaments was quickly rejected by their manager.

"No, I don't think so," remarked Glasner following his team's side's four-one loss to Leeds. "Should somebody informs me that we are defeated deliberately, the following day I'm not the manager anymore."

There exists a clear difference in Glasner's approach to cup competitions versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's journey to the League Cup last eight in his debut full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had already been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner selected his strongest team for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight tie ended in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must devise a strategy for payback against the current Premier League leaders in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week because of European commitments.

A Cost of Achievement and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own success. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has ushered in the challenges of European football for the first time. These demands are catching up with several weary players, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a break all term.

The manager fielded an completely different lineup, including four youngsters, in their final Conference League fixture. Yet, for the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "no option" but to choose the majority of his first-choice side, which looked extremely jaded as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he stated.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Selection Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The boss must balance his desire to win a second major trophy with extreme pragmatism. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that cup match but was forced to introduce his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match winning run against Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and two in a later league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, is expected to start for the first since that injury. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're used to it," said Arteta on the busy fixture list. "I think this week was the sole full week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is going to be similar. We have a beautiful 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 formidable challenge for a Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the festive period ramps up.