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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a restful few days with his family in Austria before Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the campaign—a League Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace could focus on other competitions was quickly dismissed by their manager.

"No, I don't think so," remarked Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "If somebody informs me that we are defeated on purpose, the following day I'm not the coach anymore."

There is a stark contrast in Glasner's strategy to cup tournaments versus his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup last eight in his debut full season in command. Under Hodgson, the team had already been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner picked his first-choice lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight match ended in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at half-time. Now, Glasner now faces the task to devise a plan for revenge versus the current Premier League leaders in a fixture that was moved to this week because of European commitments.

A Cost of Success and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the challenges of European football for the first time. These demands are taking a toll on some weary squad members, many of whom have barely had a break all term.

The manager fielded an completely changed lineup, including four teenagers, in their last Conference League fixture. However, ahead of the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to pick the majority of his first-choice team, which appeared decidedly lethargic as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he stated.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Selection Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The manager must balance his ambition to win a another major trophy with considerable pragmatism. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that cup tie but was compelled to introduce his "key players" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game unbeaten 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 long-term knee injury, looks set to begin for the first since then setback. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We are accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the busy schedule. "In my view this week was the only complete week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is will be like this. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the last four of a competition so we will be prepared."

Amid important players coming back from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal pose a daunting test for a Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the holiday period ramps up.