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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a quiet period with his family in Austria before Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth fixture of the season—a League Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace could prioritize other tournaments was swiftly dismissed by their manager.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," declared Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 loss to Leeds. "Should anyone informs me that we lose deliberately, the next day I'm not the manager any more."

There is a marked difference in Glasner's philosophy to domestic cup competitions compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his first full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had already been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner selected his strongest lineup 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 loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a somewhat 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 moved to this week because of European commitments.

The Price of Success and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own success. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the challenges of continental football for the very first time. These demands are catching up with several weary players, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a rest all term.

The coach deployed an completely changed team, featuring four teenagers, in their last Conference League match. Yet, for the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "no option" but to select the bulk of his preferred side, which appeared extremely lethargic as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he stated.

The Gunners' Perspective and Selection Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The manager must juggle his desire to win a second major trophy with considerable practicality. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that cup match but was compelled to bring on his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a decisive goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "incensed" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match unbeaten streak against Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and two in a subsequent league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, looks set to begin 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'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 like this. We have a wonderful chance to go into the last four of a competition so we will be prepared."

With key players coming back from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal present a formidable challenge for a Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the festive schedule intensifies.