Arsenal will make the short trip to face Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park in the Premier League on Saturday, December 21 as each game carries added weightage with the festive period around the corner.
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Palace will enter this game on the back of a mixed run of form. They lost to Fulham on November 9, after which came a five-game unbeaten run which ended with a 3-2 defeat against the next opponents, but in the EFL Cup quarter-finals, in their last outing. However, they secured two wins and three draws in that run in between, including a heroic 3-1 away win at Brighton & Hove Albion. Oliver Glasner and his men will revisit that result as they prepare to face Arsenal for the second time in a matter of days.
The Gunners will enter this game on the back of a reassured sense of form and purpose. They are unbeaten in nine games since losing 1-0 to Inter Milan on November 6, winning six and drawing three of these matches. Their last five games have seen three wins and two draws, with both stalemates coming in the Premier League. However, they defeated the Eagles 3-2 a few days ago to advance to the EFL Cup semi-finals and will draw confidence from that performance.
On that note, let’s take a look at the team news from both camps.
Team News & Predicted Lineups
Crystal Palace
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Glasner went with a full-strength lineup in a 3-4-2-1 setup last time out and it paid dividends as they ended up winning 3-1. While there were no new injuries or suspensions from that match, they will be without Matheus Franca, Adam Wharton and Joel Ward for the next one.
Predicted XI: Henderson; Chalobah, Lacroix, Guehi (C); Munoz, Hughes, Lerma, Mitchell; Sarr, Eze; Mateta.
Arsenal
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Mikel Arteta went with a full-strength team in Arsenal’s goalless draw against Everton in their last Premier League match. Since then, no new player has been injured, but Benjamin White, Takehiro Tomiyasu remain sidelined while Oleksandr Zinchenko and Riccardo Calafiori have a chance to getting back among the squad this weekend.
Predicted XI: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly; Odegaard (C), Partey, Rice; Saka, Havertz, Martinelli.
Head-to-Head Record
The last five meetings across competitions have seen Arsenal emerge victorious on all occasions.
Date Match Competition
19/12/24 Arsenal 3-2 Palace EFL Cup
20/01/24 Arsenal 5-0 Palace Premier League
22/08/23 Palace 0-1 Arsenal Premier League
19/03/23 Arsenal 4-1 Palace Premier League
06/08/22 Palace 0-2 Arsenal Premier League
Crystal Palace vs Arsenal Prediction
Going by the sheer dominance of the Gunners in their last five meetings with Crystal Palace, combined with their form of late, they are the easy pick to win this match. Their away form has been better than their home form in the league and Arsenal will look to extend that.
Prediction: Crystal Palace 1-3 Arsenal.
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