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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a restful period with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth game of the campaign—a League Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. Yet, the notion that Palace might focus on other competitions was quickly rejected by their manager.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," declared Glasner after 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 exists a clear difference in Glasner's strategy to cup competitions versus his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup last eight in his first complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the team had already been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner picked his first-choice lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a encounter with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight match concluded in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, following a somewhat debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at the interval. Now, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a strategy for payback versus the present Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was moved to this week owing to European commitments.

The Price of Success and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the rigors of continental football for the first time. These pressures are catching up with several fatigued squad members, many of whom have barely enjoyed a rest all term.

The coach selected an entirely different lineup, including four youngsters, in their last Conference League match. Yet, for the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to pick the majority of his first-choice team, which looked decidedly jaded as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he stated.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Team Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The manager must balance 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 just days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented 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 crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game winning run versus Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and two in a subsequent league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, looks set to begin for the first since then injury. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're accustomed 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 beautiful chance to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be prepared."

Amid key players coming back from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal pose a daunting challenge for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the holiday period ramps up.