Premier League Preview - Arsenal

After an opening day victory in the Premier League over Norwich City, Selhurst Park once again opens its doors to top flight football as the Eagles welcome North London outfit Arsenal.

Arsene Wenger’s side suffered a shock defeat to West Ham United at home and will be guarded against complacency and look to get their season up and running as they look towards challenging Chelsea and the like for the title.

Team News

Crystal Palace – No fresh injury concerns for Alan Pardew. Dwight Gayle however may have made his final appearance for the Eagles as the 24 year old has rumoured to have handed the club a transfer request amidst a £6 million bid from Bristol City. Marouane Chamakh may also feature against his former employers.

Arsenal – Alexis Sanchez was rushed back into action earlier than expected after a bad start against West Ham and is likely to feature on Sunday. Hector Bellerin is fit for this game and will provide a defensive boost for the Gunners however they will be without England midfielder Jack Wilshere who has suffered yet another injury. No other injuries are apparent for Arsenal.

Action Replay

Palace have lost their last five Premier League meetings with Arsenal. Both games last season ended 2-1 with goals coming right on half time in each fixture. Alan Pardew has won 11 of 19 games as Eagles boss and that is more than any other Palace boss in the Premier League.

16th August 2014: Arsenal 2-1 Crystal Palace. An opener from Hangeland was followed by goals in injury time of each half stole the points for the hosts. A second booking for Puncheon saw him leave the pitch early.
21st February 2015: Crystal Palace 1-2 Arsenal. Goals from Giroud and Cazorla looked to have sealed the points for the visitors until a late Murray goal caused some late pressure.

One To Watch

Alexis Sanchez – attacking midfielder

His return to the starting line up should provide Arsenal with a lot more drive and energy, something Palace will have to be wary of as well as his goal scoring ability. The Chile international was due to have an extended break following the triumph at the Copa America but has been rushed back into the Gunners squad which may be prove to be too soon. Last season his Who Scored average rating was 7.81 in the Premier League scoring 16 goals and managing 8 assists.

Predictions

Final league position – 2nd

Arsenal so need another striker. If they do pull off the rumoured transfer of Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema they could possibly go on to win the title. Petr Cech provides much more experience in a vital position despite his shaky performance in the opening game while they already have a world class midfield. Olivier Giroud has been too inconsistent and the pressure will need to be taken off Alexis Sanchez.