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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a restful period with his family in Austria before Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth game of the campaign—a League Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. However, the suggestion that Palace might focus on other competitions was firmly rejected by their manager.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner following his team's side's four-one defeat to Leeds. "Should anyone informs me that we are defeated on purpose, the next day I'm no longer the manager anymore."

There is a marked contrast in Glasner's strategy to cup competitions relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's run to the League Cup quarter-finals in his debut complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the team had already been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner selected his strongest lineup for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a encounter with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final 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 the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must devise a strategy for revenge against the present Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week because of European obligations.

A Price of Achievement and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final has brought the demands of European football for the very first time. These demands are taking a toll on several exhausted players, many of whom have barely enjoyed a rest all season.

The manager deployed an entirely different lineup, including four youngsters, in their last Conference League fixture. However, for the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to choose the bulk of his first-choice side, which appeared decidedly jaded as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he said.

Arsenal's Perspective and Selection Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The manager must balance his desire to win a second major trophy with considerable pragmatism. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback significantly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that cup tie but was forced to introduce his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-match winning streak versus Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and a brace in a subsequent league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, looks set to begin for the first since then setback. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're accustomed to it," said Arteta on the congested fixture list. "I think this week was the only full week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is will be like this. We have a wonderful chance to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be ready."

With key players coming back from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal present a daunting test for a Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the festive schedule intensifies.