Prediction: Arsenal vs Crystal Palace

Verdict: Total goals under 2.5

Best odds: 26/25

Bookmaker: ZetBet

After a two-week break, Arsenal are set to return to Premier League action aiming to end a three-game losing streak. The Gunners will face London rivals Crystal Palace at the Emirates on Saturday lunchtime.

Arsenal spent this break in Dubai, regrouping after being eliminated from the FA Cup by Liverpool in the third round. On the other side, Crystal Palace are also recovering from a recent knockout defeat, losing their replay to Everton on Wednesday night.

Arsenal

Arsenal topped the league table at Christmas, but now they’re in serious danger of dropping out of the top four. And while they still have time to qualify for the Champions League next season, the title race might move beyond their reach soon if their results don’t improve.

The team’s offensive issues have been evident during the festive period, with toothless performances leading to defeats against West Ham and Fulham. The struggles continued in the FA Cup against Liverpool, where Jakub Kiwior inadvertently scored an own goal, and Luis Diaz demonstrated ruthlessness with a powerful finish late on.

Manager Mikel Arteta acknowledged that his team may have developed a mental block when it comes to finishing chances. Despite calls from fans to invest in a new number nine in the January transfer window, Arteta may not pursue such a move unless an audacious loan move for Karim Benzema materializes.

Currently in fourth place, Arsenal are only above Tottenham Hotspur on goal difference, though with a game in hand. The team’s recent form includes just one win from seven matches in all competitions, with wasted chances nearly proving costly even in their 2-0 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion. Arsenal have now lost their last two Premier League London derbies after going unbeaten in 17 capital clashes before that. They will surely look to rectify that situation on Saturday.

Team News

Arsenal have seen Jurrien Timber, who suffered an ACL injury, running and engaging in individual ball work during the winter training camp in Dubai. However, it will still take some time before the Dutchman can be considered for a return to the first team.

Thomas Partey (thigh) and Fabio Vieira (groin) are not expected back until the next month, while Takehiro Tomiyasu and Mohamed Elneny are both away on international duty. There is uncertainty about Oleksandr Zinchenko’s (calf) availability. If the Ukrainian doesn’t recover, Kiwior might get a chance at redemption in the left-back spot.

On a positive note, Gabriel Jesus seems to have fully recovered from the knee injury that kept him out of the loss to Liverpool.

Crystal Palace

These two teams suffer from similar problems at the moment. Crystal Palace’s lack of a killer instinct was evident in their FA Cup opener against Everton, resulting in a goalless draw and an additional fixture for both teams. The replay, played at Goodison Park, saw Sean Dyche’s men secure a 1-0 victory with Andre Gomes’s 42nd-minute free-kick effort.

Both teams have struggled with confidence and conviction, especially in the final third, and the disgruntled Palace fans expressed their frustration during the match. Manager Roy Hodgson’s decision to substitute Eberechi Eze early in the second half was met with dissatisfaction from the fans.

Palace are currently in 14th place in the Premier League, and in their next fixture, they will aim to increase their five-point buffer from the relegation zone. While they secured a 3-1 victory against Brentford in their final top-flight fixture of 2023, the Eagles have now gone nine league matches without keeping a clean sheet.

In the 2023/24 Premier League season, Palace have earned only six points from London derbies, which is the lowest in that category. Despite restricting Arsenal to one win in eight meetings between October 2018 and April 2022, Palace have been beaten in their last three contests with the Gunners. In their last clash to day, the margin was narrow, with only a Martin Odegaard penalty separating the teams in August.

Team News

Crystal Palace will be without defender Rob Holding, who is dealing with an ankle problem and will miss the reunion with his former club. Michael Olise, who has been rumored as a target for Arsenal among other clubs, is still out with a thigh injury, and there is no set date for his return. Cheick Doucoure (Achilles) and Joel Ward (thigh) are also unavailable.

Jesurun Rak-Sakyi missed out on a place in the squad in the previous match but is back in training and could be in contention for the derby.

Jordan Ayew is unavailable due to his commitments in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). Ayew is one of only two players, along with Bruno Guimaraes of Newcastle United, to have been fouled more times than Arsenal star Bukayo Saka in the league this season.

Conclusion

Arsenal, struggling with a lack of goals, have had a chance to regroup after a challenging festive period. The return of Gabriel Jesus is expected to provide the hosts with more attacking prowess in the final third.

On the other hand, Crystal Palace’s offensive struggles are likely to persist without Olise and Ayew, and with the added challenge of midweek fatigue, Hodgson’s team is expected to fall short as Arsenal maintain hope of staying in the title race.

However, the attacking problems of the two teams aren’t easy to overcome quickly, and it seems very likely that a goal or two proves enough for the Gunners to secure victory.

Verdict: Total goals under 2.5

Best odds: 26/25

Bookmaker: ZetBet