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You could forgive Oliver Glasner for preferring to enjoy a quiet few days with his loved ones in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th match of the campaign—a League Cup last-eight clash against Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace could prioritize other competitions was firmly dismissed by their boss.

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

There is a stark difference in Glasner's approach to cup tournaments relative to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's journey to the League Cup quarter-finals in his debut full season in command. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner fielded his best 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 loss at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a somewhat debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having been ahead at the interval. Now, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a plan for payback versus the present Premier League pace-setters in a match that was moved to this week owing to European commitments.

The Price of Achievement and European Fatigue

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own success. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final has ushered in the challenges of continental football for the very first time. These demands are taking a toll on several weary players, many of whom have barely enjoyed a rest all season.

The manager selected an completely different team, featuring four youngsters, in their last Conference League match. However, ahead of the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to select the majority of his first-choice side, which appeared extremely lethargic as they uncharacteristically conceded four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

Arsenal's Perspective and Team Dilemmas

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The boss must juggle his desire to win a second major trophy with extreme pragmatism. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game against Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had implemented a number of changes for that cup match but was forced to introduce his "key players" following the break. Saka came off the bench to assist Jesus for a decisive 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 are on an eight-match winning streak versus Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and a brace in a subsequent league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, looks set to start for the first since then injury. Arteta disclosed the forward 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 complete week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is going to be like this. We have a wonderful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a tournament so we will be ready."

Amid important players returning from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal pose a daunting challenge for a Crystal Palace side urgently in need of rejuvenation as the holiday period intensifies.