Friday marks the start of the 2022/23 English Premier League season, with Crystal Palace welcoming Arsenal to Selhurst Park for the opening clash of the campaign.
The Gunners looked destined to secure Champions League football last term but ended up finishing fifth – two points behind fourth-place Tottenham. Can Mikel Arteta’s men make amends this season?
So, who's joining us on Friday night? 👀The @premierleague returns ❤️💙#CPFC pic.twitter.com/rKvLWG0CT3— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) August 2, 2022
So, who's joining us on Friday night? 👀The @premierleague returns ❤️💙#CPFC pic.twitter.com/rKvLWG0CT3
Meanwhile, Palace finished twelfth –13 points clear of the relegation zone and three points shy of the top half. Will the Eagles continue to progress under former Arsenal star Patrick Vieira?
Crystal Palace registered 11 wins, 15 draw and 12 losses last term. No team in the league recorded more draws, while only five sides suffered fewer defeats.
If Vieira’s boys can turn a few more draws into victories in 2022/23, they will give themselves an excellent chance of breaking into the top half.
It is worth noting that Palace finished the previous campaign on a high note, avoiding defeat in each of their final six home games.
Better still, they kept a clean sheet in each of their final five home games last season. For that reason, they will fancy their chances of frustrating Arsenal in front of the Selhurst Park faithful on Friday.
As for the Gunners, they recorded 22 wins, three draws and 13 losses last term. Only Manchester City and Liverpool claimed more victories, while no side picked up fewer draws.
Between December and March, Arsenal suffered a solitary defeat in 11 Premier League games – securing nine wins and one draw in the process.
However, they ended up losing six of their final 12 games and failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their final ten.
That said, the recent arrival of high-profile stars such as Gabriel Jesus, Fabio Vieira and Oleksandr Zinchenko will only enhance Arsenal’s chances of breaking into the top four this season.
Head-to-head: Crystal Palace avoided defeat against Arsenal last term. Following a 2-2 draw at the Emirates Stadium, the Eagles won 3-0 on home soil.
When you look at the bigger picture, however, Palace have only managed to win three of their previous 20 Premier League meetings with the Gunners.
Team news: Crystal Palace will start the season without the injured quartet of Michael Olise, James McArthur, Jack Butland and Sam Johnstone.
As for Arsenal, there are question marks over the fitness of Takehiro Tomiyasu, Emile Smith Rowe, Kieran Tierney and Fabio Vieira.
Palace are expected to give the Gunners a run for their money at Selhurst Park. Still, Arteta’s men should have enough quality to come out on top.
Forebet predicts that Arsenal will claim all three points on Friday night, scoring over 1.5 goals on their way to victory.