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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a quiet few days with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the campaign—a League Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace could prioritize other tournaments was swiftly dismissed by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," stated Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 hammering to Leeds. "Should anyone tells me that we are defeated deliberately, the following day I'm not the manager any more."

There exists a stark contrast in Glasner's philosophy to cup competitions relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's journey to the League Cup quarter-finals in his debut complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had already been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner fielded his strongest lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight tie ended in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, following a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at half-time. Now, Glasner must figure out a strategy for revenge versus the current Premier League leaders in a match that was rescheduled to this week because of European obligations.

A Cost of Success and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, 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 demands of European football for the first time. These pressures are catching up with some fatigued squad members, many of whom have barely enjoyed a break all season.

The coach deployed an completely changed side, featuring four youngsters, in their last Conference League match. However, for the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "no option" but to select the bulk of his preferred team, which appeared extremely jaded as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he said.

The Gunners' Perspective and Selection Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The manager must juggle 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 fightback significantly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that League Cup match but was forced to bring on his "key players" following the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match unbeaten streak versus Palace, featuring seven wins. 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, is expected to begin for the first time since then setback. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We are used to it," commented Arteta on the busy schedule. "In my view this week was the only complete week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is going to be like this. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be prepared."

With key players coming back from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal pose a daunting challenge for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the festive schedule ramps up.