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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a restful period with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th game of the campaign—a League Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. However, the suggestion that Palace might focus on other tournaments was firmly dismissed by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," stated Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 loss to Leeds. "Should somebody tells me that we are defeated on purpose, the next day I'm no longer the coach anymore."

There exists a clear contrast in Glasner's strategy to cup competitions compared to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his debut complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had already been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner fielded his strongest lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight tie ended in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a slightly controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must devise a plan for payback versus the present Premier League pace-setters in a match that was rescheduled to this week owing to European commitments.

A Cost of Success and Continental Fatigue

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

The manager fielded an entirely different side, featuring four youngsters, in their last Conference League match. However, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "no option" but to select the majority of his preferred side, which looked extremely lethargic as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he stated.

The Gunners' Perspective and Selection Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The manager must juggle his desire to win a another major trophy with considerable pragmatism. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that cup tie but was compelled to introduce his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match winning streak against Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and two in a later league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, looks set to start for the first time since that setback. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We are accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the congested schedule. "In my view this week was the sole complete week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is will be like this. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be prepared."

With important players coming back from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal pose a daunting challenge for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the festive schedule ramps up.