English Premier
2024-01-20 - Arsenal vs Crystal Palace
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Saturday 20th January 2024 - Kick Off 12:30pm
This game is live on TV
Arsenal
It was a poor end to the 2023 calendar year and the start to 2024 has been disappointing for Arsenal fans who had big hopes for the year ahead. The only positive is that Arsenal have had a couple of weeks to prepare for this game as they look to get their Premier League title efforts back on track.
The team have been looking a little leggy and they are 4th in the Premier League table and 5 points behind leaders Liverpool. The Gunners have a 7-2-1 record at the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League where Arsenal have scored 22 goals and conceded 10.
Arsenal have failed to win any of their last 4 games in all competitions and they have lost 3 in a row, including exiting the FA Cup and losing their last 2 Premier League fixtures. They had won 7 in a row at the Emirates Stadium, but Arsenal have lost consecutive games by the same 0-2 scoreline in front of their own fans.
Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus have both been dealing with injuries and are doubts for the weekend.
Crystal Palace
The fans booed some of the decisions made by Roy Hodgson in the 1-0 defeat Crystal Palace suffered at Everton in the FA Cup Third Round Replay on Wednesday. Roy Hodgson himself admitted that he would have questioned some of the decisions if he was in the stands, but also reiterated that Crystal Palace had to prioritise the Premier League over the domestic Cup competitions.
This is not exactly what the supporters would want to hear, but the remainder of the season will see Crystal Palace only playing Premier League football. The Eagles are 14th in the Premier League table and they are only 5 points clear of Luton Town inside the relegation zone. They have a 3-3-4 record away from home in the top flight this season.
Crystal Palace have now won 1 of their last 11 games in all competitions and the pressure is certainly intensifying on Roy Hodgson as manager of the club. Since winning at Turf Moor, Crystal Palace have lost 3 of their last 5 away games in all competitions, including back to back away defeats at Chelsea and Everton.
Michael Olise missed out on Wednesday and is a doubt for this game. A few changes are expected when it comes to the first team, while the likes of Nathaniel Clyne, Tyrick Mitchell and Eberechi Eze should be able to start having been substituted in the FA Cup defeat at Goodison Park.
Head to Head
A second half Penalty helped Arsenal to a 0-1 win at Selhurst Park earlier this season.
They had failed to win any of 4 home games against Crystal Palace before thumping The Eagles 4-1 in the last meeting between the clubs at the Emirates Stadium.
Prediction
The 'Winter Break' is going to have been a very important time for Arsenal and the players have been away for some warm weather training. Team bonding will also have been important for the club as Arsenal look to bounce back from a poor run of form which has seen them lose 3 in a row in all competitions.
The feeling is that Arsenal are facing a good opponent this Saturday, although they cannot take anything for granted against Crystal Palace.
Roy Hodgson may not have endeared himself to the supporters by making some substitutions in the FA Cup Third Round Replay at Everton which suggested that the manager was not too concerned about progressing. Supporters want something to look forward to, but now they only have the Premier League.
Ultimately Crystal Palace have prioritised staying in the Premier League over domestic silverware and Hodgson still feels the right manager. Recent form has been really poor as far as Crystal Palace are concerned, while having to play that Replay on Wednesday is perhaps far from ideal.
The Eagles have enjoyed recent visits to the Emirates Stadium, but they were beaten 4-1 here last season.
You have to expect Crystal Palace to be set up to be hard to beat, but this is a team that has struggled to offer enough in the final third. They will be looking to frustrate Arsenal, although the feeling is that the home team will be stronger for the two week break as they just look to reset before going again.
Arsenal have suffered back to back 0-2 home defeats to West Ham United and Liverpool, but they had won 7 in a row at the Emirates Stadium prior to those setbacks. Fans will still be hoping that Arsenal will dip into the coffers to find some money for January transfers, but Mikel Arteta will likely have to go with what he has and will believe he can get more out of the players than he has been.
This is a good chance for his team to bounce back out of their break and Arsenal have been creating opportunities at home.
With a bit more composure after two weeks to freshen up both mentally and physically, Arsenal should be able to win this game by a couple of goals.
Crystal Palace are struggling for goals right now and that may help Arsenal come away with a victory by a couple of goals at the least.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Arsenal 3-1 Crystal Palace
BEST BETTING TIP :
I'll back Arsenal - 1.5 Asian Handicap at 1.95 with Bet365
