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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a quiet few days with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the campaign—a League Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. However, the suggestion that Palace might prioritize other tournaments was firmly dismissed by their manager.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," declared Glasner following his team's side's four-one defeat to Leeds. "If somebody informs me that we are defeated deliberately, the following day I'm no longer the manager anymore."

There exists a stark contrast in Glasner's strategy to domestic cup tournaments versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's run to the League Cup quarter-finals in his first full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner fielded his first-choice lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight match ended in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a slightly controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at half-time. Now, Glasner must figure out a plan for payback versus the present Premier League leaders in a fixture that was moved to this week because of European obligations.

A Cost of Achievement and European Exhaustion

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

The manager fielded an completely changed team, including four teenagers, in their final Conference League match. However, for the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to choose the bulk of his first-choice side, which appeared decidedly jaded as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he said.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Selection Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The boss must balance his ambition to win a second major trophy with extreme practicality. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that League Cup tie but was compelled to bring on his "key players" after the break. Saka came off 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 situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match unbeaten run versus Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and a brace in a later league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, looks set to start for the first since then setback. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're used to it," said Arteta on the busy fixture list. "I think this week was the sole complete week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is will be like this. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be prepared."

Amid key players coming back from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal present a daunting challenge for a Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the holiday schedule intensifies.