Arsenal vs Crystal Palace – Preview
For the first time in a long time, Arsenal head into a Premier League game on the back of excellent form. Not too long ago, the Gunners were struggling to win a single game, with cries for Mikel Arteta's sacking growing by the day. While many remain disgruntled with the inexperienced manager, things have picked up for the north London giants.
Aubameyang and Co. head into this fixture on the back of a four-game winning streak, and while that is nothing to brag about for a club of Arsenal's stature, it is a drastic improvement on the seven-match winless run they went in the Premier League from early November up until their Boxing Day victory over Chelsea.
That 3-1 triumph over the Blues breathed life and confidence back into the Gunners as they followed that up with a 1-0 win over Brighton and a 4-0 thrashing of West Brom. After that came an FA Cup showdown with Newcastle which saw Arteta's men return to their drab displays of old, but the late introduction of Saka and Emile Smith Rowe helped the Emirates Stadium side triumph 2-0.
The two English youngsters have been key to Arsenal's upturn in form. The creative midfielder assisted two goals in his last three EPL outings while scoring in the 2-0 victory over the Magpies while the versatile Three Lions prodigy has contributed to three goals in the last three top-flight fixtures (two goals, one assist).
Lacazette is another player who is back in form, scoring five in his last five outings, while Aubameyang ended his goalscoring drought in the recent 2-0 FA Cup triumph. The latter was much needed as the Gabonese striker has been struggling to find the back of the net, which is unfortunate given his world-class talent.
Palace are a team that have handed Arsenal tricky tests over the past few seasons. However, the Eagles have struggled for consistency this season, winning only once in their last seven fixtures. Their historic 7-0 loss at home to Liverpool remains fresh in everyone's memory but a win at the Emirates Stadium could help erase that. Do not miss this fixture.
Team news
Arsenal: Thomas Partey is finally back in the squad and could make his much-awaited return. It remains to be seen whether the marquee summer signing will start on the bench or in the lineup but he is destined to end his one-month spell on the sidelines. Gabriel is also back, having recovered from COVID-19, but might remain on the bench after the strong showing from the Mari-Holding partnership. Martinelli picked up a knock in the warm-up for the Newcastle game and while further tests showed it was nothing serious, the Brazilian will miss this fixture.
Palace: Sakho is out with a thigh injury but the visitors will welcome back Gary Cahill after recovering from his hamstring issue.
Key stats
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Arsenal have not won any of their last four clashes vs Crystal Palace, drawing three and losing one.
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Palace have not lost any of their last two visits to the Emirates Stadium.
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However, the Eagles have won only five times in 47 encounters with the Gunners (D14, L28).
Broadcast listings
Match details, result and original broadcast info
This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
