Following on from Palace’s frustrating goalless draw against Everton on Wednesday night, the Eagles take a trip to North London where the once tipped title winners for the season will be waiting.
A large proportion of football fans believed Arsenal would be fighting for the Premier League title a whole lot more than they have done this campaign. Instead they have kept the ‘typical Arsenal’ tag with a handful of disappointing performances leaving Gunners fans once again questioning Arsene Wenger’s leadership.
Both sides come into the match at the Emirates in good form. Unbeaten in their last four games, Arsenal will be looking for the three points to take them one step closer to Tottenham Hotspur in second. After drawing two and winning one, Palace’s top flight status looks set for another season but boss Alan Pardew will want to get past the forty point mark and aim for a mid-table finish considering that it is still possible.
A win could potentially take Palace to thirteenth, given that other results go the right way. This meeting would usually be an easy tie to predict but recent performances suggest that this will not be as straightforward as some may think.
Team News
Crystal Palace – Dwight Gayle had to be taken off against Everton due to injury and is likely to miss the next two games. Former Gunner Emmanuel Adebayor is back after missing nearly a month of game time and made a cameo appearance midweek. James McArthur is making progress and may feature against Manchester United next week. Connor Wickham is expected to start up front.
Arsenal – Petr Cech is expected to start in goal over David Ospina. Per Mertersaker is back from injury but will likely start on the bench due to the pace of Palace’s front three. Tomas Rosicky and Jack Wilshere have proven their fitness in the youth team but neither are expected to feature. Santi Cazorla and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are about a week away from being available for selection. Mikel Arteta misses out.
Action Replay
In the 2004/05 season the Eagles visited the Emirates on Valentines Day which ended up a massacre. Dutchman Dennis Bergkamp began the scored to put the hosts a goal up just after the half hour mark. Jose Reyes and Thierry Henry put the game out of Palace’s reach going into the break and things got worse soon after the re-start as Patrick Vieira maked added a fourth. Andy Johnson scored from the penalty spot for what was only to be a consolation before Thierry Henry scored his second and Arsenal’s fifth to confirm their domination in the game. The Palace side brushed aside by the North London outfit included the likes of Aki Riihilahti, Gonzalo Sorondo, Michael Hughes, Wayne Routledge and Dougie Freedman.
Form Guide
The last six games between the two teams;
- 16 August 2015: Crystal Palace 1-2 Arsenal
- 21st February 2015: Crystal Palace 1-2 Arsenal
- 16th August 2014: Arsenal 2-1 Crystal Palace
- 2nd February 2014: Arsenal 2-0 Crystal Palace
- 26th October 2013: Crystal palace 0-2 Arsenal
- 14th February 2005: Arsenal 5-1 Crystal Palace
The Gunners have managed eight points from their last six games, winning two and drawing two. The Eagles have accrued six points over the same period with one win and three draws.
Form Players (courtesy of Who Scored)
Mesut Ozil (7.67), Alexis Sanchez (7.63), Laurent Koscielny (7.46), Yohan Cabaye (7.28), Yannick Bolasie (7.12), Scott Dann (7.05)
One To Watch
Alex Iwobi
Nineteen year old Iwobi is certainly one to watch. With two goals and two assists in Arsenal’s last four matches, the Nigerian born striker is making a name for himself in the Premier League and will be involved in the game against Palace. With support from Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez, keeping Iwobi quiet will be a test for the Palace back line. He joined Arsenal in 2004 and has worked his way through the ranks. Having played for England at youth level he has since gone on to make three full international appearances for Nigeria.
Predictions
Final league position – 3rd
After being knocked out of all other competitions, where they are now is where Arsenal will finish the season. With both Manchester clubs focusing on the Champions League and FA Cup respectively,the Gunners have no excuse not to finish third or higher. Regardless, it will go down as a disappointing season for Arsene Wenger’s men which will only add pressure to the Frenchman ahead of next season.
- TEB prediction – draw
- Mark Harrison prediction (see link below) – home win
- Who Scored prediction – home win
Betting Odds (courtesy of Paddy Power)
- Home 1/3
- Draw 4/1
- Away 9/1
- Both teams to score 4/5
Find our what Arsenal fan Mark Harrison told TEB this week in The Arsenal View.
