Saturday’s early kick-off in the Premier League sees the title-chasing Gunners entertain the relegation-threatened Eagles at the Emirates Stadium.
Having played 20 matches, Arsenal find themselves fourth in the table – three points shy of Aston Villa and Manchester City and five points behind leaders Liverpool.
Quick feet. Clinical finishing. ⚡️Shot on Google Pixel 🤳 pic.twitter.com/58s111LDJ4— Arsenal (@Arsenal) January 16, 2024
Quick feet. Clinical finishing. ⚡️Shot on Google Pixel 🤳 pic.twitter.com/58s111LDJ4
At the opposite end of the standings, Crystal Palace occupy 14th place. Not only are Roy Hodgson’s side just five points clear of the drop zone, but they are also 19 points behind Arsenal.
Last time out, Mikel Arteta’s men suffered a 2-0 defeat to Liverpool in the FA Cup, despite racking 18 shots against the Merseysiders.
Due to successive league defeats against West Ham United and Fulham, Arsenal head into Saturday’s clash on a three-game losing streak across all competitions.
To make matters worse for the Gunners, they have managed to win just one of their previous seven matches, recording two draws and four losses in that time.
Still, Arteta’s side have lost only three of their last 29 home games in the Premier League, underlining their impressive form at the Emirates.
As for Crystal Palace, they were knocked out of the FA Cup following a 1-0 defeat to Everton on Wednesday, having played out a goalless draw to force a reply.
The Eagles have now managed to win just one of their last 11 matches across all competitions, recording four draws and six losses along the way.
On December 30, Hodgson’s side claimed a 3-1 victory over fellow strugglers Brentford to end an eight-game winless run in the Premier League.
Having failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their previous nine league games, though, Palace will likely concede at least one goal this weekend.
Head-to-head: Arsenal have won each of their last three Premier League meetings with Crystal Palace, scoring seven goals while keeping two clean sheets.
Unfortunately for the Eagles, they have also managed to win only two of their previous 13 league matches against the Gunners.
Team news: Arsenal’s Takehiro Tomiyasu and Mohamed Elneny are away on international duty, while Thomas Partey, Fabio Vieira, Jurrien Timber and Gabriel Jesus are injured.
Palace’s injury list contains Michael Olise, Joel Ward, Rob Holding, Cheik Doucoure and Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, while Jordan Ayew is at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Regardless of Arsenal’s iffy form of late, Arteta’s men are expected to flex their muscles and get the better of the Eagles.
Forebet predicts that both teams will find the back of the net at the Emirates. However, Arsenal look set to outscore Crystal Palace.