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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a quiet period with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the season—a League Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. However, the idea that Palace might focus on other competitions was firmly dismissed by their head coach.

"No, I do not believe that," declared Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "Should somebody tells me that we are defeated deliberately, the next day I'm not the manager anymore."

There exists a stark contrast in Glasner's approach to cup tournaments versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup last eight in his first complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had already been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner picked his strongest team for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final tie concluded in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a slightly debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must devise a plan for payback versus the present Premier League pace-setters in a match that was moved to this week because of European commitments.

The Price of Success and Continental Fatigue

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

The coach selected an entirely changed lineup, including four teenagers, in their last Conference League fixture. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "no option" but to select the bulk of his preferred side, which looked decidedly jaded as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Perspective and Team Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The manager must juggle his desire to win a another major trophy with considerable practicality. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that League Cup match but was compelled to introduce his "key players" after the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "incensed" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match winning streak versus Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and a brace in a later league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, is expected to begin for the first since that setback. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are accustomed to it," said Arteta on the busy fixture list. "In my view this week was the sole full week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is going to be similar. We have a wonderful chance to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be prepared."

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