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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a quiet period with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the season—a League Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. However, the suggestion that Palace could prioritize other competitions was quickly dismissed by their head coach.

"No, I don't think so," declared Glasner following his team's side's four-one defeat to Leeds. "Should somebody tells me that we are defeated deliberately, the following day I'm not the manager anymore."

There exists a clear difference in Glasner's approach to domestic cup tournaments relative to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his first complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had already been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner picked his first-choice lineup for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final tie concluded in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a plan for revenge against the present Premier League leaders in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week because of European obligations.

The Cost of Achievement and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own success. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the challenges of European football for the very first time. These pressures are catching up with some weary players, many of whom have hardly had a rest all season.

The manager deployed an entirely changed lineup, including four teenagers, in their last Conference League fixture. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "no option" but to choose the bulk of his preferred side, which looked decidedly jaded as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Must. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Selection Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The manager must balance his desire to win a second major trophy with extreme practicality. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback greatly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that League Cup tie but was forced to bring on his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a move that left Glasner "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-match unbeaten streak versus Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored 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 start for the first since then injury. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the busy schedule. "In my view this week was the only full week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is going to be similar. We have a wonderful chance to go into the last four of a competition so we will be prepared."

With key players coming back from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal present a formidable challenge for a Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the holiday schedule intensifies.