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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a quiet period with his family in Austria before Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the season—a League Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. However, the notion that Palace could focus on other competitions was firmly dismissed by their head coach.

"No, I don't think so," stated Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 loss to Leeds. "Should somebody tells me that we are defeated on purpose, the following day I'm not the coach anymore."

There exists a stark difference in Glasner's strategy to cup competitions versus his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's journey to the League Cup quarter-finals in his first full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had already been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner fielded his first-choice side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a encounter with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight tie ended in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a slightly controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a strategy for payback against the present Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was moved to this week because of European obligations.

A Cost of Achievement and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the rigors of European football for the very first time. These pressures are taking a toll on some fatigued squad members, many of whom have barely enjoyed a rest all season.

The coach fielded an completely different team, featuring four teenagers, in their final Conference League fixture. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "no option" but to choose the majority of his first-choice team, which appeared extremely jaded as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he stated.

The Gunners' Perspective and Selection Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The boss must juggle his desire to win a another major trophy with extreme practicality. The previous season, 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 tie but was compelled to introduce his "key players" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match winning streak against Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and two in a subsequent league win before suffering a serious knee injury, is expected to begin for the first since that setback. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're used to it," said 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 like this. We have a beautiful chance to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be ready."

With important players coming back from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal pose a formidable challenge for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the holiday period intensifies.