English Premier
2025-04-23 - Arsenal vs Crystal Palace
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Wednesday 23rd April 2025 - Kick Off 8pm
This game is live on TV
Arsenal
Mikel Arteta has challenged his players to delay the Liverpool title party for as long as possible and the win on Sunday has managed to do that. They need another on Wednesday to force the League leaders to win the Championship on Sunday, and Arsenal are also looking to retain the momentum ahead of a big Champions League Semi Final to be played against Paris Saint-Germain beginning at the end of this month.
Despite the win at Ipswich Town, Arsenal are still 13 points behind leaders Liverpool, although the three points secured at Portman Road has eased any concerns about slipping out of the top five places. The Gunners have a 10-5-1 record at the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League this season.
Arsenal have extended their current unbeaten run to 11 games in all competitions and they have won 5 of their last 7 fixtures played. Draws have proved costly in the Premier League title race, but Arsenal had won 3 in a row here in all competitions before the 1-1 draw with Brentford.
Riccardo Calafiori is a doubt, while both Jorginho and Kai Havertz are not ready to return, but are still hoping to be involved in the Champions League tie with Paris Saint-Germain. Bukayo Saka did pick up an ankle issue on Sunday and may not be risked from the start, even if Mikel Arteta suggested he has avoided a serious problem.
Crystal Palace
Perhaps the FA Cup Semi Final spot earned has proven to be a distraction for the Crystal Palace players and that may be the only excuse for recent underperformance on the field. Manager Oliver Glasner will at least be happier with the character his side showed on Saturday when reduced to ten men in the first half against Bournemouth and battling to a goalless draw.
Stronger form over the last month may have seen Crystal Palace push into the race for European places through their League form, but they are now 12th in the standings and 5 points behind the top eight places with five League games left. The Eagles have a 6-5-5 record away from home and Crystal Palace have scored and conceded 22 goals in those matches.
Crystal Palace have won 1 of 5 Premier League games played since beating Fulham 0-3 at Craven Cottage in the FA Cup Quarter Final, while they had conceded ten goals in back to back defeats before the draw with Bournemouth on Saturday. Those consecutive defeats were both away from home at Manchester City and Newcastle United and Crystal Palace have conceded ten away goals in a row after taking a 0-2 lead at the Etihad Stadium.
Chris Richards will serve a one game suspension after being harshly sent off at Selhurst Park this past weekend.
Head to Head
Arsenal and Crystal Palace have met twice already this season and it is the former who have won both games and with a 8-3 aggregate lead.
They met here in the League Cup Quarter Final as Arsenal fought back from a goal behind to beat Crystal Palace 3-2.
The Gunners have won their last 3 at home against Crystal Palace and scored at least three goals in each victory.
Prediction
Both of these teams have big Cup games on deck, but there is a feeling that the home team will have more focus on Wednesday night.
The English Premier League title may be beyond Arsenal's reach, barring something staggering happening, but they will want to enter the Champions League Semi Final against Paris Saint-Germain with their current unbeaten run intact.
They also have several days to prepare for the First Leg of that Semi Final and so Mikel Arteta can select a strong team as he did at Portman Road on Sunday. Some rotation may be needed with Bukayo Saka picking up a slight knock, and unlikely to be risked, but Arsenal should be plenty focused to keep things ticking along.
If this match had been played a couple of weeks ago, Crystal Palace would have had their share of backers, but the form has been poor. Heavy losses at Manchester City and Newcastle United have to be concerning, while their FA Cup Semi Final is scheduled for this Saturday and could be a big distraction for the players.
Manager Oliver Glasner may be looking for a big win to take into the FA Cup Semi Final, but players are human and the recent lack of intensity may be partly down to the squad members wanting to ensure they are fit and ready to compete at Wembley Stadium.
Any drop in intensity can make it tough to compete as the fans would expect and Arsenal may become the latest to take advantage against Crystal Palace.
They have scored eight times in two games against them already this season, while Arsenal have beaten this London rival 3 times in a row at home. In those victories, Arsenal have scored twelve goals and The Gunners may have the firepower to secure a relatively comfortable victory over a potentially distracted visitor.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Arsenal 2-0 Crystal Palace
