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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a quiet few days with his family in Austria before Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth game of the season—a League Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. However, the idea that Palace might prioritize other competitions was quickly dismissed by their boss.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," stated Glasner following his team's side's four-one defeat to Leeds. "If anyone tells me that we are defeated deliberately, the next day I'm not the coach any more."

There is a marked difference in Glasner's approach to domestic cup competitions relative to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's journey to the League Cup last eight in his first full season in command. Under Hodgson, the team had already been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner fielded his strongest team for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight tie ended in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, following a somewhat controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to devise a plan for payback against the current Premier League pace-setters in a match that was rescheduled to this week owing to European obligations.

A Cost of Success and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own success. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the demands of European football for the very first time. These demands are catching up with several weary squad members, many of whom have hardly enjoyed a break all term.

The coach fielded an entirely different side, including four teenagers, in their last Conference League fixture. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to pick the bulk of his preferred side, which appeared extremely jaded as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he said.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Selection Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The boss must balance his ambition to win a another major trophy with extreme practicality. 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 hopes.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that cup match 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 passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match unbeaten run versus Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and two in a later league win before suffering a serious knee injury, is expected to begin for the first since then setback. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We are accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the busy fixture list. "I think this week was the only full week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is will be similar. We have a wonderful chance to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be prepared."

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