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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a quiet few days with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth game of the season—a League Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace could prioritize other competitions was quickly dismissed by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," declared Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 hammering to Leeds. "If somebody tells me that we are defeated deliberately, the next day I'm no longer the coach any more."

There is a marked contrast in Glasner's philosophy to cup tournaments relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup last eight in his first full season in command. Under Hodgson, the club had already been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner selected his best lineup for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight match concluded in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a somewhat debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at the interval. Now, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a plan for payback versus the current Premier League leaders in a match that was rescheduled to this week because of European obligations.

The Price of Success and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own success. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the challenges of European football for the very first time. These pressures are catching up with several fatigued squad members, many of whom have hardly had a break all term.

The coach selected an entirely changed side, featuring four youngsters, in their final Conference League fixture. However, ahead of the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "no option" but to pick the majority of his first-choice side, which looked extremely jaded as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he stated.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Selection Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The manager must balance his ambition to win a second major trophy with considerable practicality. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that cup match but was compelled to bring on 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 available—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

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

"We are used to it," commented Arteta on the congested schedule. "I think this week was the sole complete week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is going to be similar. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be prepared."

Amid key players returning from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal pose a formidable challenge for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the holiday schedule intensifies.