Preview: Arsenal vs Crystal Palace – prediction, team news, line-ups
After a much-needed two-week break, Arsenal return to Premier League action eager to halt their three-game losing streak when they take on London rivals Crystal Palace at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
Considering Arsenal’s recent run of form, the importance of victory in this crucial fixture cannot be overstated. For fans eager to witness the action live, now is the time to buy Arsenal vs Crystal Palace tickets from Seatsnet.com.
Since their disappointing 2-0 defeat to Liverpool in the FA Cup third round, the Gunners have been training in Dubai. On the other hand, Palace are also coming off a midweek defeat in a replay against Everton.
Arsenal were at the top of the Premier League table on Christmas Day, but a woeful run of form has seen the Gunners plummet and now find themselves at risk of slipping out of the top four.
Their struggles in the final third have become more evident during the festive period and they’ve been punished for their profligacy, suffering consecutive London derby defeats against West Ham United and Fulham.
After producing toothless attacking performances in the defeats to West Ham and Fulham, Mikel Arteta’s side followed the same script in their FA Cup clash against Liverpool.
The Gunners were guilty of spurning several guilt-edged chances until an own goal from Jakub Kiwior handed Liverpool an undeserved lead, heading home a wicked free kick from Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Liverpool then offered Arsenal a lesson in ruthlessness as Luis Diaz thundered home an effort, sealing a place in the fourth round for Jurgen Klopp’s red machines.
Arteta was the first to admit his side faced difficulties in converting their chances, and Arsenal’s woes in the final third have led to calls for the club to invest in a new striker this month.
However, the onus remains on Arteta and his troops to turn their fortunes around, considering only goal differences separate them from north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur with a game in hand.
Having secured just one win from their last seven fixtures across all competitions, Arsenal are enduring one of their worst ever run of form under Arteta’s leadership.
They have also lost their last two Premier League London derbies and will be desperate to avoid a third after going unbeaten in their previous 17 capital contests.
A lack of killer instinct also proved to be the architect of Palace’s downfall in their 1-0 FA Cup third-round replay defeat to Everton on Wednesday.
Having settled for a share of the spoils in the initial contest, another drab draw was not beyond the realm of possibility between two sides devoid of confidence and conviction in the final third.
However, Andre Gomes’ 42nd-minute effort proved to be the point of difference between both sides, sending Sean Dyche’s troops to the fourth round of the tournament.
14th-placed Palace will be optimistic about their chances of extending their five-point gap to the relegation places when they storm the Emirates at the weekend.
The visitors ended their abysmal eight-game winless run in the Premier League with a 3-1 London derby win over Brentford in their final top-flight fixture of 2023. But they have now failed to keep a clean sheet in nine league matches.
Palace cannot boast the best record in London derbies and will have to step things up if they’re to get a positive result this weekend, considering they have lost their last three meetings with Arsenal.
Match Preview
Arsenal
Arsenal are in dire need of a revival after taking just four points from their last 15 available in the Premier League (W1, D1, L3).
Those numbers make for grim reading, considering they had only dropped nine points from their opening 15 league games this season beforehand (W11, D3, L1).
After a run of just one win in eight Premier League games against Palace (D5, L2) from 2018/19 to 2021/22, Arsenal have begun to establish dominance over their west London counterparts, winning each of their last three against the Eagles.
Their previous two Premier League London derby defeats were as many as they suffered in their last 25 combined (W17, D6), and the Gunners will be desperate to avoid losing a third for the first time since March 1993.
Palace’s visit to the Emirates couldn’t have come at a better time for Arteta’s troops, who are looking to avoid a fourth consecutive defeat in all competitions since March 2018.
They’ve also not lost three consecutive fixtures at the Emirates without scoring since an abysmal run of four over a century ago.
Crystal Palace
The odds are firmly stacked against Palace heading into the weekend contest, given that they have won just one of their last 12 Premier League games on Arsenal’s turf (D4, L7).
Their London derby record also doesn’t inspire confidence, as they have picked up fewer points in Premier League capital contests than any other side this season (six – W1, D3, L3).
Palace have won just one of their last 17 games on the road against fellow London clubs (D9, L7), but their previous victory over Brentford should give them the confidence to half such an appalling record.
The Eagles are out to win consecutive Premier League games for the first time since April 2023, when they won each of their first three following Roy Hodgson’s return to the club.
Team News
Arsenal hope to welcome Gabriel Jesus back to the fold this weekend after the striker appeared to have shaken off a knee injury while on a mid-season warm-weather training camp in Dubai.
However, Oleksandr Zinchenko’s calf complaint is expected to rule him out, with Kiwior expected to retain his place at left-back.
Thomas Partey, Jurrien Timber and Fabio Vieira are still unavailable.
Timber was captured running on the Dubai pitches and undertaking individual ball work during the training camp, but the Dutchman is still far from a first-team return.
As for Palace, the trip to Arsenal will come too soon for Michael Olise, Joel Ward, Rob Holding and Jesurun Rak-Sakyi.
Holding, who swapped the Emirates for Selhurst Park over the summer, will miss out on a reunion with his former club due to his ankle problem.
Cheick Doucoure is out for the season with an Achilles injury, while Jordan Ayew is on Africa Cup of Nations duty with the Ghanaian national team.
Rak-Sakyi, who has been suffering from a thigh problem, also missed out on a place in the squad on Wednesday, but he is back in training and could force his way into contention for the derby.
Arsenal potential starting line-up:
(4-3-3): David Raya; Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Oleksandr Zinchenko; Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, Kai Havertz; Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli.
Crystal Palace potential starting line-up:
(4-4-2): Dean Henderson; Nathaniel Clyne, Joachim Andersen, Marc Guehi, Tyrick Mitchell; Eberechi Eze, Chris Richards, Jefferson Lerma, Jeffrey Schlupp; Odsonne Edouard, Jean-Philippe Mateta.
We Say: Arsenal 2-1 Crystal Palace
Arteta’s side face a tall order to keep pace with Liverpool and Manchester City at the pinnacle of the Premier League, so beating Palace is already non-negotiable.
However, we expect it to be far from a routine day for the Gunners, who may have to grind out a hard-fought victory on home turf.
