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One might forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a restful few days with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth fixture of the season—a League Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace might prioritize other competitions was quickly dismissed by their manager.

"Absolutely not, I don't think so," stated Glasner after his team's side's four-one loss to Leeds. "Should somebody informs me that we lose deliberately, the next day I'm not the manager any more."

There exists a marked difference in Glasner's philosophy to domestic cup competitions compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's run to the League Cup quarter-finals in his first complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the team had already been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner selected his best side for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a encounter with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final tie ended in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a somewhat controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at the interval. Now, Glasner must figure out a strategy for payback versus the current Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week owing to European commitments.

A Cost of Achievement and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a sense, been a casualty of his own success. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final has ushered in the rigors of European football for the very first time. These demands are taking a toll on some weary squad members, many of whom have barely had a rest all term.

The manager deployed an completely changed lineup, including four youngsters, in their last Conference League match. However, for the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to choose the majority of his preferred side, which appeared extremely lethargic as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he stated.

Arsenal's Viewpoint and Selection Dilemmas

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

Arteta had made several changes for that cup match but was compelled to bring on his "big-hitters" following 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 possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a scenario that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game winning run versus Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and a brace in a later league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, looks set to begin for the first since then injury. Arteta revealed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We're accustomed to it," said Arteta on the busy fixture list. "I think this week was the sole complete week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is going to be like this. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be prepared."

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