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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a quiet few days with his family in Austria before Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the campaign—a League Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. Yet, the notion that Palace could focus on other competitions was quickly rejected by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," stated Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 loss to Leeds. "Should anyone tells me that we are defeated deliberately, the next day I'm no longer the coach anymore."

There exists a clear difference in Glasner's approach to cup tournaments versus his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear 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 when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner selected his first-choice lineup for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a encounter with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight tie concluded in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to devise a strategy for payback against the present Premier League leaders in a match that was moved to this week owing to European obligations.

The Cost of Achievement and European 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 subsequently ushered in the challenges of European football for the very first time. These demands are catching up with some exhausted squad members, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a break all term.

The manager fielded an entirely changed lineup, featuring four youngsters, in their last Conference League fixture. However, for the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "no option" but to choose the majority of his preferred side, which appeared extremely lethargic as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he said.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Selection Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The boss must balance his desire to win a another major trophy with extreme practicality. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that League Cup match but was compelled to introduce his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka came off 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 situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game winning run versus Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup meeting and two in a subsequent league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, looks set to begin for the first time since that injury. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the busy schedule. "In my view this week was the sole full week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is going to be similar. We have a beautiful chance to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be ready."

With important players returning from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal present a formidable challenge for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the holiday period ramps up.