Arsenal will continue their quest for a top-four finish this Monday when they travel to Selhurst Park to face fellow Londoners Crystal Palace.
Venue: Selhurst Park (London)
Key Statistics
Crystal Palace are unbeaten in their last six competitive games (W4, D2).
The Eagles haven’t won in five Premier League (PL) games at home (D2, L3) including two London derby defeats.
Arsenal have won ten of their last 13 PL games.
They have kept seven clean sheets in their last 13 PL games.
The Gunners have won their last five away league games.
Arsenal rank as Christian Benteke’s joint-favourite club opponent, with nine-goal contributions against them over the years (G6, A3).
Head to head
Crystal Palace have a poor record against Arsenal in this venue as they have recorded just one win here versus their North London foes since 1979 (D7, L10).
In the Premier League, both sides have met 25 times and Arsenal have 14 wins in that period, while Palace have just three wins and eight draws.
Latest performances in all competitions
Crystal Palace: W-D-W-W-D
Arsenal: W-W-L-W-W
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace will take on Mikel Arteta’s team in what will definitely be a significant encounter for both teams.
Patrick Vieira’s side are on form, being undefeated in their last five games before the international break. Their last match saw them decimate Frank Lampard’s Everton in the FA Cup with the tie ending 4-0.
The Eagles currently sit in 12th position in the league standings after 29 rounds of football. With two points separating them from Leicester City in tenth place, Crystal Palace have a real shot at breaking into the mid-table.
The last five encounters between these two sides has spectacularly produced four draws and one loss for Crystal Palace. The reverse fixture also ended in a draw with both teams cancelling out each other time and again to bring the game to a 2-2 draw.
The Eagles have lost just three out of the eight home games they have played since January, and once again, Vieira will need the backdrop of the home supporters’ noise at Selhurst Park to be the advantage they need against the Gunners.
With only Nathan Ferguson and James McArthur missing through injuries, Patrick Vieira will have minor problems in choosing his team but will be sweating on the fitness of Michael Olise, who remains a doubt for the encounter.
Possible Crystal Palace starting line-up
Vicente Guaita; Joel Ward, Andersen, Marc Guehi, Tyrick Mitchell; Will Hughes, Connor Gallagher, Jeffrey Schlupp; Eberechi Eze, Odsonne Edouard, Wilfried Zaha.
Injured: Nathan Ferguson, James McArthur
Doubtful: Michael Olise
Suspended: None
Arsenal
Mikel Arteta’s team come into this encounter having tasted defeat only one time since February. With six wins in their last seven games, the Gunners are firmly lodged in the top four, sitting three points above their North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur and with a game in hand.
Arsenal ground out a hard-earned victory over steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa before going into the International break. A 30th-minute strike from club sensation Bukayo Saka was enough for Mikel Arteta’s team to claim all three points.
With the premier league coming to an end in a couple of weeks, Arsenal will be wary to avoid any slip-ups. With that in mind, Mikel Arteta will be hoping that his side will overcome the recent trend of draws and take maximum points away from Selhurst Park.
After finishing outside the top four last season, Arsenal are well on course to secure a much-anticipated return to the Champions League. With both Tottenham and Manchester United still in the top four race, the Gunners will be extra motivated going into this encounter. But it will be down to head coach Mikel Arteta to come up with a tactical template to beat a stubborn Crystal Palace.
Arteta will be without the services of first-choice goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale who missed their last game against Villa due to injury. Takehiro Tomiyasu remains a doubt for the encounter and will need further scans to determine if he will take any part in the game.
Possible Arsenal starting line-up
Bernd Leno; Ben White, Gabriel, Kieran Tierney, Rob Holding; Granit Xhaka, Thomas Partey, Martin Odegaard; Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka, Alexandre Lacazette.
Injured: Aaron Ramsdale
Doubtful: Takehiro Tomiyasu
Suspended: None
Prediction
Crystal Palace 1-1 Arsenal
