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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a quiet period with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth match of the season—a League Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace might focus on other competitions was swiftly rejected by their head coach.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," remarked Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "Should anyone informs me that we lose deliberately, the next day I'm not the coach any more."

There exists a stark difference in Glasner's strategy to domestic cup tournaments versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's journey to the League Cup quarter-finals in his debut full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner fielded his best side for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final tie concluded in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a plan for revenge against the current Premier League pace-setters in a match that was rescheduled to this week because of European commitments.

The Cost of Achievement and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final has brought the challenges of continental football for the very first time. These demands are catching up with some fatigued players, many of whom have barely enjoyed a break all season.

The coach fielded an entirely changed lineup, featuring four youngsters, in their last Conference League fixture. However, for the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "no option" but to select the bulk of his first-choice team, which looked decidedly lethargic as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he stated.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Selection Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The boss must balance his ambition to win a second major trophy with extreme pragmatism. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that League Cup match but was compelled to introduce his "key players" following the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "incensed" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match unbeaten streak against Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and a brace in a subsequent league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, looks set to start for the first time since then injury. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We are used to it," commented Arteta on the busy schedule. "I think this week was the only complete week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is going to be similar. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be ready."

With important players returning from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal present a daunting challenge for a Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the holiday schedule ramps up.