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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a quiet period with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the campaign—a League Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. However, the notion that Palace might focus on other tournaments was quickly rejected by their head coach.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner after his team's side's 4-1 loss to Leeds. "If somebody informs me that we lose on purpose, the next day I'm no longer the coach anymore."

There exists a marked difference in Glasner's strategy to domestic cup competitions compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his first complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner fielded his first-choice lineup for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a showdown with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final match ended in a three-two loss at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a rather debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at half-time. Now, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a strategy for revenge against the current Premier League pace-setters in a match that was rescheduled to this week because of European commitments.

A Price of Achievement and Continental Exhaustion

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

The coach deployed an completely changed team, featuring four teenagers, in their last Conference League fixture. However, for the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "no option" but to choose the majority of his first-choice side, which looked decidedly lethargic as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Perspective and Selection Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The boss must juggle his ambition to win a second major trophy with extreme pragmatism. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had made several changes for that cup match but was forced to bring on his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a decisive goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match winning streak versus Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and two in a later league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, looks set to begin for the first time since then injury. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the busy schedule. "I think this week was the only full week we had to prepare. 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."

Amid key players coming back from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal present a formidable challenge for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the festive schedule intensifies.