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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a quiet period with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth match of the season—a League Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. Yet, the notion that Palace could prioritize other tournaments was firmly rejected by their head coach.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner following his team's side's four-one loss to Leeds. "If somebody informs me that we lose on purpose, the next day I'm no longer the manager any more."

There exists a marked contrast in Glasner's philosophy to domestic cup competitions versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's journey to the League Cup last eight in his first complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the club had already been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner picked his strongest lineup for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a showdown with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight tie ended in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a somewhat controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must figure out a plan for payback against the present Premier League pace-setters in a match that was moved to this week owing to European obligations.

The Cost of Success and European Fatigue

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 ushered in the challenges of European football for the very first time. These demands are taking a toll on some fatigued squad members, many of whom have barely had a rest all season.

The manager fielded an entirely different team, including four teenagers, in their last Conference League match. However, for the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "no option" but to pick the bulk of his first-choice side, which looked decidedly lethargic as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Team Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The manager must balance his desire to win a second major trophy with considerable pragmatism. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that League Cup match but was forced to bring on 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 "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

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

"We're accustomed to it," said Arteta on the congested schedule. "In my view this week was the only full week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is going to be similar. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be ready."

Amid important players coming back from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal pose a formidable test for a Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the festive schedule intensifies.