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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a restful period with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the campaign—a League Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace could focus on other competitions was swiftly dismissed by their boss.

"No, I do not believe that," declared Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 hammering to Leeds. "If somebody tells me that we lose on purpose, the following day I'm not the manager anymore."

There exists a clear contrast in Glasner's strategy to domestic cup competitions compared to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his debut complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner fielded his best side for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a encounter with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final tie ended in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a slightly debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at half-time. Now, Glasner now faces the task to devise a plan for payback versus the present Premier League leaders in a fixture that was moved to this week because of European obligations.

A Price of Achievement and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own success. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the rigors of European football for the first time. These pressures are taking a toll on several exhausted players, many of whom have hardly had a break all term.

The manager deployed an completely different side, including four youngsters, in their last Conference League fixture. Yet, for the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to select the majority of his preferred team, which appeared decidedly jaded as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Selection Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The boss must balance his ambition to win a second major trophy with extreme pragmatism. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had made several changes for that cup tie but was compelled to introduce his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "incensed" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match unbeaten 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 sustaining a long-term knee injury, looks set to start for the first since that setback. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the congested fixture list. "In my view this week was the only full week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is going to be similar. We have a wonderful chance to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be prepared."

Amid key players coming back from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal present a daunting test for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the holiday period intensifies.