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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to spend a restful period with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the campaign—a League Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace could prioritize other tournaments was quickly rejected by their head coach.

"No, I don't think so," declared Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 loss to Leeds. "Should anyone informs me that we lose deliberately, the next day I'm not the coach any more."

There is a stark contrast in Glasner's philosophy to cup tournaments compared to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his debut full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had already been knocked out from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner fielded his first-choice lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That prior last-eight tie ended in a three-two defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a slightly controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at the interval. Now, Glasner must figure out a plan for revenge versus the current Premier League pace-setters in a match that was rescheduled to this week owing to European commitments.

A Price of Achievement and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has ushered in the challenges of European football for the very first time. These demands are catching up with some exhausted players, many of whom have barely had a break all season.

The coach selected an entirely different lineup, featuring four teenagers, in their final Conference League fixture. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "no option" but to select the majority of his preferred team, which looked extremely lethargic as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he stated.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Selection Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The manager must juggle his desire to win a second major trophy with considerable pragmatism. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that League Cup tie but was compelled to bring on his "key players" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a decisive goal in a move that left Glasner "incensed" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game winning streak versus Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and two in a later league win before suffering a serious knee injury, looks set to begin for the first time since then injury. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're accustomed to it," said Arteta on the congested schedule. "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 competition so we will be ready."

Amid important players coming back from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal present a daunting challenge for a Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the festive period ramps up.