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One might excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a restful period with his family in Austria before Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th game of the season—a League Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. However, the notion that Palace might focus on other competitions was swiftly dismissed by their head coach.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," declared Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 defeat to Leeds. "If anyone informs me that we are defeated on purpose, the following day I'm not the coach any more."

There is a stark difference in Glasner's strategy to domestic cup tournaments compared to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his debut complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner fielded his best side for victories over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a encounter with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight tie ended in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a slightly debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must devise a plan for payback against the current Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was moved to this week owing to European commitments.

The Price of Achievement and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own success. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final has brought the rigors of continental football for the first time. These pressures are catching up with several exhausted squad members, many of whom have hardly had a rest all term.

The coach selected an entirely different team, including four teenagers, in their last Conference League fixture. Yet, for the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to choose the bulk of his preferred team, which appeared decidedly lethargic as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, must," he stated.

Arsenal's Perspective and Team Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The manager must balance his ambition to win a another major trophy with considerable pragmatism. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly harmed their title aspirations.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that cup match but was compelled to bring on his "key players" after 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 in operation—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game unbeaten streak against 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 sustaining a serious knee injury, is expected to begin for the first since then setback. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're used to it," said Arteta on the busy schedule. "I think this week was the sole full week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is will be similar. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be ready."

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