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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a quiet few days with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the campaign—a League Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. However, the notion that Palace might focus on other tournaments was swiftly rejected by their manager.

"No, I do not believe that," stated Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 loss to Leeds. "Should anyone informs me that we are defeated on purpose, the next day I'm not the manager any more."

There exists a clear difference in Glasner's approach to cup competitions versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's journey to the League Cup quarter-finals in his debut complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner picked his best team for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a encounter with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight tie concluded in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, following a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at half-time. Now, Glasner must devise a plan for payback against the present Premier League leaders in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week because of European obligations.

The Cost of Success and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own success. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the demands of European football for the first time. These pressures are taking a toll on several fatigued squad members, many of whom have barely had a rest all season.

The coach deployed an entirely changed side, including four teenagers, in their last Conference League match. However, for the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "no option" but to choose the bulk of his first-choice team, which looked decidedly lethargic as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Perspective and Selection Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The boss must juggle his ambition to win a second major trophy with extreme practicality. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that League Cup tie but was compelled to bring on his "key players" 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 possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match winning streak against Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and a brace in a later league win before suffering a serious knee injury, is expected to start for the first since then injury. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We are accustomed to it," said Arteta on the busy fixture list. "In my view this week was the sole complete week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is will be similar. We have a wonderful chance to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be ready."

With important players returning from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal present a formidable challenge for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the holiday schedule intensifies.