Arteta sure Arsenal can turn dominance into goals

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Mikel Arteta is confident Arsenal can overcome their scoring woes in the Premier League when they face Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Saturday.

The Gunners have already beaten Palace this week, coming from behind to triumph 3-2 in the EFL Cup quarter-final thanks to Gabriel Jesus’ second-half hat-trick.

They are now unbeaten in their last nine matches in all competitions but are looking to close the gap to the top two by returning to winning ways in the league.

After failing to win despite dominating in their 0-0 draw with Everton, Arteta acknowledged there was a problem, but expects the narrative to go away if Arsenal score from open play in the Premier League.

“The frustrating part is that watching it back all the incredible things the team does and still not get rewarded for the three points,” he said.

“Looking back at other games in the league, our margins were ten times bigger than many other teams that have won that day, but this is football.

“At the end of the day, what we have to do is put the ball in the back of the net, and then we don’t have that issue. What the team is producing and the way the team dominates the game, there is very little to say.”

Just as you thought this move couldn’t get any better…

Enjoy six of our best against Crystal Palace from over the years

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) December 18, 2024

Meanwhile, Palace’s 3-1 win over Brighton last weekend moved them four points clear of the relegation zone as they extended their unbeaten streak in the Premier League to five games.

Eddie Nketiah was a bright spark off the bench at the Amex Stadium and the Emirates in midweek as he came off the bench to net against his former side, and Oliver Glasner believes he will soon find his elusive first Premier League goal for Palace.

“He’s [Nketiah] very ambitious, he’s working hard and was thrown back with an injury then not coming back,” Glasner said.

“Then it’s about waiting for your chance. He had a very positive impact together with Daichi Kamada at Brighton, because we struggled heavily at the beginning of the second half. As soon as they came on, they worked very hard.

“He wants to score; I see this every day in training. But in my experience, if a player works as hard as he is working, he will get the reward.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Crystal Palace – Eddie Nketiah

Although he scored in the EFL Cup, since joining Palace from Arsenal earlier this season, Nketiah has had 20 shots in 11 Premier League games without scoring.

Four players have had their first Premier League goal for a club come against Arsenal having previously played for the Gunners in the competition – Kevin Campbell (Nottingham Forest, 1995), Nicolas Anelka (Bolton, 2006), David Bentley (Tottenham, 2008) and Konstantinos Mavropanos (West Ham, 2023).

What it’s all about #CPFC pic.twitter.com/zm6DKcihaT

— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) December 16, 2024

Arsenal – Gabriel Martinelli

Gabriel Martinelli has scored more Premier League goals against Crystal Palace than he has against any other opponent (five).

Three of these have been as a substitute, with no Gunners’ player scoring more from the bench against a specific opponent in the competition.

MATCH PREDICTION: ARSENAL WIN

Arsenal have lost just two of their last 19 away league games against Palace (W10 D7), with both defeats coming in the Premier League by a 3-0 scoreline (April 2017, April 2022).

Arsenal are unbeaten in all nine of their Premier League London derby matches in 2024 (W7 D2). The last team to go unbeaten in such matches in a full calendar year were Chelsea in 2005 (W9 D1), while the last time Arsenal did so was in 2004 (W7 D3).

The Eagles have lost their last four Premier League meetings with Arsenal, having lost just one of their previous eight against the Gunners (W2 D5).

Since beating Arsenal in April 2022, Palace have lost their last five games against the Gunners in all competitions by an aggregate score of 15-3.

Palace have alternated between defeat (four) and victory (three) in their last seven Premier League home London derby matches, losing 2-0 against Fulham last time out at Selhurst Park.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Crystal Palace – 20.3%

Draw – 23.3%

Arsenal – 56.4%