Arsenal vs Crystal Palace Prediction & Betting Tips

Arsenal welcome Crystal Palace to the Emirates Stadium in this London derby to open up the Premier League weekend. The hosts will be hoping to return to winning ways, following three straight league losses.

• Over 1.5 goals @ 1/5 on Paddy Power
• Arsenal to win and BTTS NO @ 1/1 on Bet365

These odds are correct at the time of publication and are subject to change.

• Date: 20/01/24
• Kick-off time: 12:30
• Location: Emirates Stadium

This weekend’s Premier League opener is a crucial one at both ends of the table as Arsenal hope to get back on track in the title race, whilst Crystal Palace look to extend the gap between themselves and the relegation zone.

Despite sitting top of the league at Christmas, Arsenal’s recent poor form has seen them fall to fourth and five points adrift of leaders Liverpool. They sit level on points with their North London rivals Tottenham, who are fifth, topping them on goal difference.

Their opponents, Crystal Palace, are in a relegation battle with just five points separating them in 14th, and Luton Town in 18th. However, victory for Palace would see them climb above Fulham into 13th and only five points from the top half.

A win for Arsenal would put them level on points with champions Manchester City, albeit having played a game more. It would also be a very welcome three points, which the Gunners will hope can be the catalyst to regaining the top form which saw them lead the way last month.

Amidst the struggles for Mikel Arteta’s side is the recent inability to keep clean sheets. They have stopped the opposition from scoring just once in their last nine games in all competitions. Combine that with the difficulties they have faced at the other end of the pitch, failing to score in their last three fixtures, Arsenal risk falling away from their fellow title contenders if they do not improve quickly.

Their total goals conceded of 20, only bettered by Liverpool, shows just how good they can be at that end and they will be looking to the likes of William Saliba and Gabriel to turn their fortunes around.

Only six teams in the Premier League have conceded less goals than Palace, but it is their quality in the attacking areas that is letting them down. In 20 games this season, they have scored just 22 goals. They have actually seen good output from Odsonne Edouard, Michael Olise and Eberiche Eze, who have scored six, five and three goals respectively. However, no other player has netted more than two. Olise will be absent through injury so they will be heavily leaning on Edouard and Eze if they are to get anything this weekend.

The two sides have met 54 times, with the Gunners coming out on top 32 times. The Eagles have been victorious on just six occasions. The reverse fixture in October was a tight one as an early second half penalty from Martin Odegaard won the game for Arsenal at Selhurst Park in August.

Arsenal have been dominant in the last six meetings, winning three and losing one. However, in the previous three fixtures before that, nothing could separate the two teams. Palace’s last win came in April 2022, winning 3-0 with goals from Jean-Phillipe Mateta, Jordan Ayew and Wilfried Zaha.

Arsenal Team News

Mikel Arteta has a few injuries to contend with. Gabriel Jesus missed the FA Cup defeat with a knee injury, but the club are hopeful he will not miss any more games as Oleksandr Zinchenko is set to make a return as well. Jurrien Timber is still absent with a long-term injury. Thomas Partey and Fabio Silva are further along in their recoveries but are not expected to be available until early next month. Mohamed Elneny and Takehiro Tomiyasu are away at AFCON and the Asia Cup.

Crystal Palace Team News

Roy Hodgson was dealt a huge blow as Michael Olise was ruled out until at least next month after he suffered a hamstring injury. Jordan Ayew is at AFCON. Cheick Doucoure is a long-term absentee but Palace will be hoping to welcome back Sam Johnstone and Rob Holding.

Arsenal

In the last five games, Arsenal have won once, drawn once and lost three. They endured an early FA Cup exit for the second season in a row following a defeat at home to Liverpool. Despite fielding a strong side, an own goal from Jakub Kiwior and a late Diogo Jota strike knocked the Gunners out at the first hurdle.

This followed two straight defeats in the Premier League, which saw Arsenal slip down to fourth in the table. Two-nil losses at Fulham and at home to West Ham means it is now three games without a win or a goal. Their sole victory in this stretch of games was against Brighton, with Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz both on the scoresheet at the Emirates. A 1-1 draw with PSV preceded this in the final Champions League group stage game, though Arteta’s side had already advanced.

Crystal Palace

In their last six games, Crystal Palace have won once, lost twice and drawn three times. Their most recent outing saw them lose 1-0 to Everton in an FA Cup third-round replay after a 0-0 draw at Selhurst Park in the initial match.

The one win came at home to struggling Brentford, as they overcame a very early setback to come out on top 3-1. Keane Lewis-Potter put the visitors ahead after two minutes, but a brace from Olise and another for Eze saw them come back to take all three points. This followed a 2-1 defeat at Chelsea and a 1-1 draw against Brighton.

Despite the lack of wins, they did pick up an impressive draw at the Etihad. Man City looked in complete control heading into the latter stages of the game, but a Mateta goal with 15 minutes to go set up a thrilling finish as Olise dispatched a 95th penalty to snatch a point.

Although Arsenal have struggled of late, we expect them to get back on track, especially at the defensive end. The Gunners have dominated this fixture in recent seasons and will continue to do so. It won’t be completely comfortable, but they should get the job done: Arsenal 2-0 Crystal Palace.

Arsenal vs Crystal Palace will be available to watch on TNT Sports.

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