Arsenal vs Crystal Palace Preview
Arsenal will host Crystal Palace in what is a must-win game for Mikel Arteta’s men if they are to keep up pace with Liverpool and Manchester City. They are currently sat in fourth place with 40 points from 20 games, having won just once in their last five Premier League games.
The Gunners enter this contest on the back of a three-game losing run, having lost to West Ham and Fulham in the league, before being knocked out of the FA Cup by Liverpool in their last game. A win against Palace would take them above Aston Villa into third place.
Meanwhile, Crystal Palace, who finished 11th last season, are currently in 14th place with 21 points from 20 games so far. They are in a spot of bother as well, having won just once in their last five outings – a 3-1 win over Brentford in their last league game.
Manager Roy Hodgson will look to avoid letting the Eagles slip into a relegation battle on his watch and will look to get to 40 points for the season as soon as possible. Their game against Arsenal proves to be a captivating watch.
Arsenal vs Crystal Palace Team News & Probable Lineups
Arsenal
Thomas Partey will miss the game owing to a thigh injury, which also kept him from representing Ghana at the African Cup of Nations, while Mohamed Elneny has been picked by Egypt. Takehiro Tomiyasu will also miss out as he is representing Japan at the AFC Asian Cup.
Long-term absentees Fabio Vieira and Jurrien Timber are still a considerable time away from making their returns to training. Meanwhile, Bukayo Saka is nursing a recurring achilles problem and is not fully fit, while Oleksandr Zinchenko is expected to return despite missing the game against Fulham. Gabriel Jesus is also expected to be available for this game after recovering from a knee issue.
Probable XI: David Raya (GK), Benjamin White, William Saliba, Gabriel, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard (C), Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli.
Crystal Palace
Jordan Ayew will miss out due to international commitments for Ghana at AFCON. Long-term absentees Cheick Doucoure and Sam Johnstone remain sidelined, while Michael Olise becomes the latest addition to the injury list following his hamstring strain in their win over Brentford.
Probable XI: Dean Henderson (GK), Nathaniel Clyne, Joachim Andersen, Marc Guehi (C), Tyrick Mitchell, Jefferson Lerma, Chris Richards, Eberechi Eze, Jeffrey Schlupp, Matheus Franca, Jean-Philippe Mateta.
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Arsenal vs Crystal Palace Head-to-Head & Prediction
Last 5 Premier League games H2H
- Crystal Palace 0-1 Arsenal (08/23)
- Arsenal 4-1 Crystal Palace (03/23)
- Crystal Palace 0-2 Arsenal (08/22)
- Crystal Palace 3-0 Arsenal (04/22)
- Arsenal 2-2 Crystal Palace (10/21)
As you can see above, Arsenal has the better head-to-head record, winning three in a row against Palace, who last won at the Emirates Stadium back in 2019. Additionally, Roy Hodgson’s men will be playing their FA Cup replay against Everton two days before they face the Gunners in the league. This should give Arteta’s men hope against a relatively small Palace squad.
The last five meetings between the two teams at the Emirates Stadium have seen one home win, three draws and one away win, with both teams scoring in each of these five fixtures. Recent trends point towards a similar affair, but Arsenal are likely to win this contest.
Prediction: Arsenal 2-1 Crystal Palace.
Arsenal vs Crystal Palace Betting Tips & Odds
Tips
- Both teams to score: Yes.
- Arsenal over 1.5 goals: Yes.
- Crystal Palace first half: Win/draw double chance.
Odds
- Arsenal win: 1.35
- Draw: 5.75
- Crystal Palace win: 10.00
Top Players to Watch
Arsenal
Kai Havertz will be one to watch as Arsenal takes on a rather physical and combative Crystal Palace side in their next Premier League game. The German’s ability to win both aerial and ground duels will be crucial, while his prowess from set-pieces is likely to come in handy with the Gunners having scored the fewest goals from open play in the top six.
Havertz missed the game against West Ham, before putting in a rather disappointing performance against Fulham last time around. He will be expected to rectify that in the upcoming run of games.
Crystal Palace
With Michael Olise and Jordan Ayew both potential absentees, this game could be an opportunity for Eberechi Eze to shine. With six goal contributions across 17 appearances this season, Eze’s value to Hodgson’s team has not yet been quantified through his output.
Olise, who usually is the playmaker and has bagged six goal contributions in just nine Premier League games, will likely miss out, giving Eze the perfect opportunity to shine.
Arsenal vs Crystal Palace Timings & Telecast
- Date & Time: Saturday, 20th January (6:00 PM IST)
- India: Star Sports Network, Hotstar app & website.
- UK: TNT Sports app.