Arsenal v Crystal Palace – Preview, Predictions, and Best Bets

Arsenal face Crystal Palace in the English Premier League on Saturday. The Gunners have just one win in seven in all competitions whilst The Eagles ended an eight-match winless league run in their last EPL outing. Arsenal have won the last three clashes between the sides.

Arsenal Form

Arsenal had a six-match winning streak with 18 goals scored and looked to be finally hitting their stride. Things have unravelled somewhat since then with just one win in seven matches in all competitions. They lost 1-0 at Aston Villa in a wasteful display and then 1-1 at PSV in a Champions League dead rubber.

A strong 2-0 win at home against Brighton followed a valuable 1-1 draw against Liverpool at Anfield. Three successive defeats have followed. They missed loads of chances in a 2-0 home defeat to West Ham and were then outplayed in a 2-1 loss at Fulham. Their last match saw an FA Cup exit, losing 2-0 at home to Liverpool.

Arsenal Team News

Mikel Arteta is without Takehiro Tomiyasu and Mohamed Elneny due to international commitments. Thomas Partey is out injured, and Gabriel Jesus is a doubt up front with a knee complaint.

Jurrien Timber is still four months away from a return from knee surgery and Fabio Vieira is ruled out in midfield. Oleksandr Zinchenko requires a late fitness test on a calf problem with Jakub Kiwior on standby to cover.

Arsenal Motivation

The Gunners need to get back to winning ways or the five-point gap to the summit could increase.

Performances are not bad by any means, but confidence is low. They would be happy to grind out a steady three points here.

Crystal Palace Form

Palace sit 14th in the league table, just five points above the relegation zone. After a 2-0 win at Burnley in November, they went winless in eight league matches with five losses. To be fair, they had some good results in that streak: drawing 2-2 at Man City and a steady 1-1 home draw vs Brighton.

After the latter result, they lost 2-1 away to Chelsea. A 3-1 home win over Brentford ended the winless streak, even if they only put up 0.98 xG in the victory. They have since faced Everton twice in the FA Cup. A 0-0 home draw meant a replay was needed. They lost 1-0 at Goodison Park on Wednesday night.

Crystal Palace Team News

Defenders Joel Ward and Rob Holding are out injured. Key midfielder Cheick Doucoure is out long-term after an Achilles problem. Young forward Jesurun Rak-Sakyi is unlikely to play any part.

In attack, options are limited. Jordan Ayew is away on duty with Ghana and Michael Olise has suffered another thigh injury. He won’t play in this match and could be out for a while.

Crystal Palace Motivation

Considering the injuries they are dealing with, a draw here would feel like a win.

Hodgson could switch to a back five and make life extra difficult for Arsenal.

Key Stats

Arsenal have won 7 and drawn 2 of their 10 home EPL matches this term

Arsenal have won their last 3 matches vs Crystal Palace

Arsenal’s Saka has scored in 4 of 10 home EPL matches in 2023/24

Crystal Palace have 1 win in 9 EPL matches (5 losses)

Palace are winless in 4 away league matches (LDDL)

Verdict

A tight affair is expected with Palace lacking firepower and the Gunners missing chances of late. Arsenal should have enough to grind out a win and a clean sheet looks a good tip.

Best Bet: Arsenal win to zero at 1.95

Alternative Bet: Arsenal win and Under 3.5 goals at 1.95

Value Bet: Saka to score first at 5.50

James O'Connor

James is a football analyst who writes about the tactics of the PSL and English Premier League. He holds the UEFA A coaching licence and has previously worked for several clubs in analysis roles.Twitter: https://twitter.com/footy_analysis