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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a quiet few days with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth fixture of the campaign—a League Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace could focus on other tournaments was quickly rejected by their head coach.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," remarked Glasner after his team's side's four-one hammering to Leeds. "Should somebody tells me that we are defeated on purpose, the following day I'm not the coach anymore."

There exists a marked difference in Glasner's philosophy to domestic cup tournaments compared to his predecessor, 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 team had already been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner selected his best team for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final tie concluded in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, due to a somewhat debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must devise a plan for payback versus the current Premier League leaders in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week owing to European obligations.

The Cost of Success and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the challenges of European football for the very first time. These pressures are catching up with several exhausted players, many of whom have barely had a break all term.

The manager fielded an completely different side, including four teenagers, in their final Conference League fixture. However, ahead of the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to select the majority of his first-choice side, which appeared extremely jaded as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he said.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Selection Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The manager must balance his desire to win a second major trophy with considerable pragmatism. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that League Cup match but was forced to introduce his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a decisive goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match winning streak versus Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted 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 disclosed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're accustomed to it," said Arteta on the busy schedule. "In my view this week was the sole complete week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is will be like this. We have a wonderful chance to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be ready."

With important players returning from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal present a formidable test for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the festive schedule intensifies.