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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a restful period with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth fixture of the campaign—a League Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace might focus on other tournaments was firmly rejected by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," declared Glasner after his team's side's four-one loss to Leeds. "If anyone tells me that we lose on purpose, the next day I'm not the coach anymore."

There exists a stark difference in Glasner's philosophy to domestic cup tournaments compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his first full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner selected his best team for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final match concluded in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a slightly debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a strategy for revenge versus the present Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was moved to this week because of European obligations.

The Price of Success and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final has brought the rigors of continental football for the very first time. These demands are catching up with several fatigued squad members, many of whom have hardly had a rest all season.

The coach deployed an entirely different side, including four youngsters, in their final Conference League fixture. However, for the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to select the bulk of his first-choice team, which appeared decidedly jaded as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he said.

The Gunners' Perspective and Selection Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The manager must juggle his desire to win a second major trophy with considerable practicality. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that cup tie but was forced to introduce his "key players" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a decisive 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 run against Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and a brace in a later league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, is expected to begin for the first time since then injury. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're accustomed to it," said Arteta on the busy fixture list. "In my view this week was the sole complete week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is will be similar. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be prepared."

Amid important players returning from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal pose a formidable challenge for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the festive period ramps up.