Arsenal host Crystal Palace in a 2024/25 Carabao Cup quarterfinal which will have an extra edge to it, being a London derby.
Crystal Palace will travel to Arsenal in a cup tie with endless possibilities, especially as both teams are enjoying contrasting fortunes at opposite ends of the Premier League table.
Arsenal thumped their visitors 5-0 on their last visit to North London, and they will be keen to progress in this competition with a victory in front of their fans.
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Mikel Arteta’s team finished second in the league last season with an improved tally of 89 points from their previous campaign. Hence, the Gunners will be desperate to go all the way in their third consecutive title race and there is a chance to pick up the first domestic silverware of the season.
The campaign so far has blown hot and cold with a ten-match unbeaten start ended by a2-0 loss at Bournemouth. Arsenal were winless in their next three league matches against Liverpool, Newcastle and Chelsea and they must quickly regain their rhythm to avoid falling behind domestic rivals.
Indeed, this marked the first time Arsenal have gone four games without a top-flight win since April 2023 and they now find themselves nine points behind the top of the table. Last season proved that they can eventually catch up with their title rivals, but they must quickly improve on the recent run of just one win in their last five games in all competitions.
As their league fortunes look bleak at the moment, they can take their destiny into their own hands in the League Cup where Palace will visit in poor form.
Oliver Glasner had a transformative effect on the Eagles since taking over mid-way through last season, their 5–0 win over Aston Villa on the final game of the campaign proved the joint biggest Premier League win in Palace’s history. That victory ended 2023/24 with six wins from their last seven games, equalling their best-ever Premier League points tally of 49 and a top ten finish for just the second time.
However, the Glaziers have struggled so far this season having gone into the November international break on the back of a 2-0 defeat to Fulham.
They had previously put together a three-game unbeaten run with their first league win of the season against Tottenham Hotspur followed by a defeat of Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup Last 16, then a point away to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Palace have now registered just seven points this season and are stuck in the relegation zone, their third-worst points tally (seven) at this stage of a Premier League campaign.
Inevitably, their Austrian manager’s position has been called into question but he is set to remain in situ for now. Should he survive till this cup tie against Arsenal, a victory would help to ease the pressure on his job and Glasner will be keen to fire up his team.
Given that they have won just once in the Premier League this season, Palace will be lacking in confidence and a must-win game against one of the best sides in the top-flight is a less than ideal scenario.
They must hence put together a run of good performances and results that will help them to build up the momentum needed to advance to a cup semifinal.
Match tickets
This EFL Cup quaterfinal fixture takes place on Wednesday, 18 December 2024 with kick-off scheduled for 7:30 PM UK time. London derbies rarely disappoint and this promises to be a spectacular occasion as match tickets are now available for sale on the website of each individual club, with priority access given to club members and season ticket holders.
The Emirates Stadium will host this encounter and you can expect the over 60,000 seats to be sold out for this one. Non-season ticket holders may have a hard time finding match tickets on official sources, but we urge them to find them on a resale site.
Hence,Arsenal vs Crystal Palace tickets can be found here, while regular match-goers can also find moreArsenal tickets for the entire season.
Team news
The likes of Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Riccardo Calafiori, Takehiru Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney are currently injured, but none of them are thought to be long-term absences for Arsenal. The Gunners will however be without Ben White for a few weeks after undergoing surgery.
Palace have been plagued by injuries so far this term, with Adam Wharton on the sidelines due to injury, but Eberechi Eze, Jefferson Lerma and Chadi Riad are all close to returning.
Line-ups
Gabriel and William Saliba are the foundation for Arsenal’s impeccable solidity and they will now look to regain some consistency after injuries and suspensions caused them to chop and change their backline. Thomas Partey has also had to fill in at right back amidst a turnaround of options in the left back position.
Overall, Arsenal also struggled for creativity without Martin Odegaard, who has created the most chances in the Premier League despite missing a lot of games. His availability would be the key to unlocking opposition defences and Arteta is expected to make shrewd changes to his first team.
Arsenal: Raya; Partey, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Jorginho, Merino, Odegaard; Gabriel, Havertz, Martinelli
Glasner has a tough job on his hands to steer his side out of relegation but performances in this competition may be essential to bolstering their belief. However, the hectic festive schedule and current injuries may make it very difficult to rotate effectively.
Crystal Palace: Turner; Chalobah, Lacroix, Guehi; Munoz, Doucoure, Hughes, Mitchell; Kamada, Nketiah; Mateta
Prediction
Crystal Palace have picked up just two points on the road so far in the league, but they have won twice away in the EFL Cup. They will be desperate to secure another scalp in this competition by upsetting the Gunners, hence they need a solid game plan.
Arsenal will not be lost on the importance of this competition as it could have a galvanising effect on the rest of their season. They must impose themselves on Palace and score early in order to control proceedings, and it is hard to see Palace nicking this one.
Arsenal 2-1 Crystal Palace