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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a quiet few days with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth game of the season—a League Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. However, the notion that Palace could focus on other tournaments was swiftly dismissed by their head coach.

"No, I don't think so," stated Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 hammering to Leeds. "Should anyone tells me that we lose deliberately, the following day I'm not the coach any more."

There is a stark contrast in Glasner's strategy to domestic cup competitions relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup last eight in his debut full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner picked his strongest side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a encounter with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight tie ended in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a slightly controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at half-time. Now, Glasner now faces the task to devise a strategy for payback versus the current 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 success. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the challenges of continental football for the very first time. These demands are taking a toll on some exhausted squad members, many of whom have barely had a rest all season.

The coach deployed an completely different side, featuring four youngsters, in their last Conference League fixture. However, for the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "no option" but to select the majority of his first-choice side, which looked decidedly lethargic as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he said.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Selection Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The boss must juggle his ambition to win a another major trophy with extreme pragmatism. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had made several changes for that cup tie but was forced 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 available—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game winning streak versus Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and two in a subsequent league win before suffering a serious knee injury, looks set to begin for the first time since then setback. 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. "I think this week was the only full week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is will be like this. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be prepared."

With key players coming back from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal pose a daunting challenge for a Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the festive period ramps up.