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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a quiet few days with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th game of the campaign—a League Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. However, the notion that Palace might focus on other tournaments was swiftly dismissed by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," stated Glasner following his team's side's four-one hammering to Leeds. "If somebody tells me that we lose deliberately, the following day I'm not the manager any more."

There exists a marked difference in Glasner's strategy to cup competitions versus his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's run to the League Cup quarter-finals in his debut complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner picked his strongest lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a showdown with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final tie concluded in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a somewhat controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at half-time. Now, Glasner now faces the task to devise a plan for payback against the present Premier League pace-setters in a match that was rescheduled to this week because of European commitments.

The Price of Success and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has brought the demands of European football for the very first time. These demands are catching up with several fatigued players, many of whom have barely had a rest all term.

The manager selected an entirely changed team, featuring four teenagers, in their last Conference League fixture. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to select the majority of his first-choice side, which looked extremely jaded as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he stated.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Selection Considerations

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

Arteta had made several changes for that cup tie but was compelled to introduce his "key players" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a decisive goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match winning run against Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and two in a later league win before suffering a serious knee injury, is expected to start for the first since that injury. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are used to it," said Arteta on the congested schedule. "In my view this week was the sole full week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is will be like this. We have a wonderful chance to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be prepared."

Amid key players returning from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal present a daunting test for a Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the festive schedule ramps up.