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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a quiet few days with his family in Austria before Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th game of the season—a League Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace could focus on other tournaments was quickly dismissed by their head coach.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," remarked Glasner following his team's side's four-one defeat to Leeds. "Should somebody informs me that we are defeated on purpose, the following day I'm no longer the coach any more."

There exists a marked difference in Glasner's philosophy to cup competitions compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's run to the League Cup last eight in his debut full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had already been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner selected his first-choice team for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight match ended in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a slightly debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a plan for payback versus the current Premier League leaders in a fixture that was moved to this week because of European obligations.

The Cost of Success and Continental Exhaustion

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

The coach deployed an completely different lineup, featuring four teenagers, in their last Conference League fixture. However, for the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to select the majority of his preferred team, which appeared extremely lethargic as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he said.

The Gunners' Perspective and Selection Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The boss must juggle his desire to win a second major trophy with extreme pragmatism. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that League Cup tie but was forced to introduce his "key players" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match unbeaten streak against Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and two in a later league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, looks set to begin for the first since then injury. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are accustomed to it," said Arteta on the busy schedule. "I think this week was the only complete 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 ready."

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