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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a quiet few days with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth game of the campaign—a League Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. However, the suggestion that Palace might prioritize other competitions was firmly rejected by their head coach.

"No, I do not believe that," declared Glasner following his team's side's four-one loss to Leeds. "Should somebody informs me that we are defeated on purpose, the next day I'm not the coach anymore."

There exists a stark contrast in Glasner's philosophy to domestic cup competitions relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's journey to the League Cup last eight in his debut full season in command. Under Hodgson, the team had previously 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 showdown with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight match ended in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a somewhat controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at the interval. Now, Glasner now faces the task to devise a plan for payback against the current Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week because of European obligations.

A Price of Achievement and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the demands of European football for the very first time. These pressures are catching up with some fatigued players, many of whom have barely had a rest all season.

The manager fielded an entirely different lineup, including four teenagers, in their final Conference League match. However, for the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to select the bulk of his preferred side, which looked extremely lethargic as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he affirmed.

Arsenal's Perspective and Selection Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The boss must juggle his desire to win a second major trophy with considerable practicality. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly harmed their title hopes.

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

Arsenal have an eight-match winning run versus Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and a brace in a subsequent league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, is expected to begin for the first time since then injury. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

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

Amid key players coming back from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal pose a formidable test for a Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the festive schedule ramps up.