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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a restful few days with his family in Austria before Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the campaign—a League Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. However, the idea that Palace could focus on other tournaments was swiftly dismissed by their manager.

"No, I don't think so," stated Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "If somebody tells me that we are defeated deliberately, the following day I'm no longer the manager any more."

There is a clear difference in Glasner's approach to cup tournaments relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his first full season in command. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner selected his strongest side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a encounter with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final 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. Now, Glasner now faces the task to devise a strategy for revenge versus the current Premier League leaders in a match that was moved to this week because of European obligations.

The Price of Achievement and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the demands of continental football for the first time. These pressures are catching up with some fatigued squad members, many of whom have hardly had a break all season.

The manager fielded an entirely different lineup, including four youngsters, in their final Conference League fixture. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "no option" but to pick the bulk of his first-choice team, which appeared decidedly lethargic as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Selection Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The boss must juggle his desire to win a second major trophy with extreme pragmatism. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had made several changes for that League Cup tie but was forced to introduce his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka came off 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 available—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

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

"We are used to it," said Arteta on the congested schedule. "In my view 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 ready."

Amid important players coming back from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal present a daunting challenge for a Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the holiday schedule ramps up.