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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a quiet few days with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the campaign—a League Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace might prioritize other tournaments was firmly rejected by their manager.

"No, I don't think so," declared Glasner after his team's side's four-one defeat to Leeds. "If somebody informs me that we lose deliberately, the next day I'm not the manager any more."

There exists a stark difference in Glasner's approach to domestic cup competitions compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's run to the League Cup quarter-finals in his first complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had already been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner selected his strongest team for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a encounter with Arsenal.

That prior quarter-final match concluded in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a rather 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 figure out a strategy for revenge against the present Premier League leaders in a fixture that was moved to this week because of European obligations.

A Price of Success and Continental Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a casualty of his own success. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final has brought the demands of European football for the first time. These pressures are catching up with some weary squad members, many of whom have barely enjoyed a break all season.

The manager fielded an entirely different lineup, featuring four youngsters, in their last Conference League match. However, for the Arsenal clash, he admitted he will have "no option" but to choose the bulk of his preferred side, which looked extremely lethargic as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Team Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The manager must juggle his desire to win a another major trophy with extreme pragmatism. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had made several changes for that cup match but was forced to introduce his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "incensed" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game unbeaten run versus Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and two in a subsequent league win before suffering a serious knee injury, is expected to begin for the first time since then injury. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're used to it," said Arteta on the congested fixture list. "In my view this week was the only complete week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is will be similar. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be prepared."

Amid important players returning from injury and a desire to advance, Arsenal present a daunting challenge for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the holiday schedule ramps up.