3 minute read
Crystal Palace will host Arsenal at Selhurst Park for Monday Night Football, and we believe that Mikel Arteta's team will have to fight hard for another close victory.
Crystal Palace will face Arsenal at Selhurst Park on Monday Night Football, and Planet Sport believes the hosts will give the visitors a run for their money.
Team news
Crystal Palace will be pleased to have retained the services of Michael Olise, though he's ruled out with a thigh injury. Matheus Oliveira (lower back) and Will Hughes (knee) are also unavailable.
Eberechie Eze will start in an attacking role behind last weekend's hero Odsonne Edouard, with new signing Jefferson Lerma continuing alongside Cheick Doucoure in midfield.
The Gunners are still without Gabriel Jesus (knee) who has been joined on the sidelines by Jurrien Timber (ACL) after he suffered a serious injury against Nottingham Forest.
Albert Sambi Lokonga (muscle), Folarin Balogun (ankle) and Oleksandr Zinchenko (calf) have all returned to full training and could be in the squad on Monday evening.
Betting tips
Over 2.5 goals
Both teams to score
Crystal Palace vs Arsenal betting preview
Crystal Palace formed a winning habit at the tail end of last season and started this campaign with a 1-0 win over Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.
A first home game of the season in front of the Selhurst crowd is likely to be a lively occasion and we're expecting a high-energy start from Roy Hodgson's men.
Title challengers Arsenal took a 2-0 lead despite a sluggish performance against Nottingham Forest, with a late consolation for the visitors giving them a fright.
Mikael Arteta will be extremely pleased his side held on for all three points, especially as the visitors frustrated the Gunners for large parts and produced the better xG on the day.
The Eagles were absolutely dominant in beating Sheffield United last weekend with 68% of possession and an xG of 1.89 from 24 shots.
They had to wait until the second half to produce some high-quality chances, with Edouard, Jeffrey Schlupp and Joachim Andersen all threatening, but they were defensively sound throughout.
Arsenal failed to create a big chance at the Emirates last weekend but opened the scoring with a fortunate deflection from an Eddie Nketiah shot before Bukayo Saka produced a moment of magic.
The final pass was often the only thing missing for the hosts who found little room for manoeuvre in the attacking third. Hodgson's Palace are always organised and should take a similar approach.
Manchester City's late 1-0 victory here in March is the only home loss Palace have suffered in their previous 10 Premier League matches and they've avoided defeat in 20 of 25 at home.
Arsenal have to at the very least match City stride for stride in the early stages of the season and we expect them to look sharper on Monday, but they'll definitely be made to work for it.