Arsenal vs Crystal Palace Preview

Arsenal will return to Premier League action this Saturday when they welcome Crystal Palace to the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners have been away for the Premier League winter break since the first week of January. The break was much needed as Mikel Arteta’s side were in a bad run of form before the break.

The North London side were beaten 2-0 by Liverpool in the FA Cup in what was their last game before the break. That loss at home to Liverpool nearly two weeks ago extended their rotten run to just one win in seven competitive matches (D2, L4). That’s their fewest victories across a seven-game period under Mikel Arteta’s management.

The game was also their third defeat in a row with the Gunners failing to score in two of those games despite accumulating 61 shots. They will hope their brief winter break has helped hit the reset button on their faltering campaign.

Moreso, the hosts will fancy their chances of getting a change of fortunes against a Crystal Palace team they have defeated in each of the last three H2Hs. The Eagles start the round in 14th, which should be more comfort for the hosts as Arsenal boast a 100% record this season against sides currently sitting inside the bottom seven (W7).

Meanwhile, Palace will be desperate to get back to winning ways after suffering defeat in the FA Cup third round against Everton (1-0 on aggregate over two legs). The visitors have not played Premier League football this year, with their last league game coming in a 3-1 home win over Brentford last year.

That win was their first and only league win in eight league games (D2, L5). As such, they will be looking to register successive wins in the competition for the first time since April 2023 when they won their first three following Roy Hodgson’s return to the club.

However, they are the underdogs here as not only are these two sides separated by a vast gap in the table, but Palace also have a rotten record against their neighbours in recent times. The Eagles have picked up fewer points in Premier League London derbies this season than any other side (six – W1, D3, L3). Also, their away record in London fixtures is terrible as they have won just one of their last 17 matches against fellow capital clubs (D9 L7).

Other fixtures taking place this week in the Premier League Fixtures:

Premier League Table