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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a restful period with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the season—a League Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. However, the suggestion that Palace could focus on other tournaments was firmly dismissed by their head coach.

"No, I don't think so," stated Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 loss to Leeds. "If somebody informs me that we are defeated deliberately, the following day I'm not the manager any more."

There is a clear difference in Glasner's approach to domestic cup tournaments versus his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's journey to the League Cup quarter-finals in his first complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the club had previously been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner picked his first-choice team for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final tie concluded in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, due to a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at the interval. Now, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a strategy for revenge versus the present Premier League leaders in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week because of European obligations.

The Cost of Achievement and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own success. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has brought the rigors of continental football for the first time. These demands are taking a toll on several exhausted players, many of whom have barely had a break all season.

The manager fielded an completely changed lineup, including four teenagers, in their last Conference League match. However, for the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "little choice" but to pick the majority of his preferred team, which appeared decidedly jaded as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he stated.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Selection Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are different. The manager must juggle his ambition to win a second major trophy with considerable practicality. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game against Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented several changes for that League Cup tie but was forced to bring on his "key players" after the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a potential offside, with no VAR available—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game winning run versus Palace, including seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and a brace in a subsequent league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, is expected to start for the first time since that setback. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the congested schedule. "I think this week was the sole full week we had to get ready. The period until February at least is will be like this. We have a beautiful chance to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be prepared."

Amid important players coming back from injury and a desire to progress, Arsenal pose a daunting challenge for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the holiday schedule ramps up.