Kick-off: 1400, 19/03/2023
Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Arsenal can pick themselves up from crashing out of the Europa League to beat Crystal Palace and move eight points clear at the Premier League summit.
The Eagles have struggled badly since the turn of the year, prompting the shock dismissal of manager Patrick Vieira after 20 months in charge.
We like 5/4 for the Gunners to prevail 1-0, 2-0 or 3-0 for our first Arsenal vs Crystal Palace prediction.
Gunners have no time to sulk
Arsenal’s hopes of securing a first-ever European trophy were dashed in dramatic fashion by Sporting Lisbon at Emirates Stadium on Thursday.
Having drawn 2-2 in Portugal, the Gunners looked on course to qualify for the quarter-finals when Granit Xhaka netted on 19 minutes.
However, Pedro Goncalves levelled with a stunning 49-yard effort and Gabriel Martinelli later saw his spot-kick saved in a penalty shoot-out defeat.
Focusing solely on the domestic title race could prove a blessing in disguise, though, and a sixth straight Premier League win would soften the midweek blow.
Captain Martin Odegaard commented: “We have to move forward now. We have to look to Sunday. It started straight away in the changing room and we get ready.
“I think every time we have lost this season, we have learned something from it. Every time we have come back and changed the situation again.
“That is what we are going to do again and the next game comes quick, so it’s a good opportunity to strike back.”
Martinelli will be especially keen to make amends and he did open the scoring in a 2-0 win over Palace at Selhurst Park back in August.
Looking at the Arsenal vs Crystal Palace odds, Martinelli is 7/2 to break the deadlock again here.
Last Arsenal line-up: Ramsdale, Gabriel, Saliba, Tomiyasu, Zinchenko, Jorginho, Vieira, Xhaka, Jesus, Martinelli, Nelson.
Eagles struggling to score
Palace sacked Vieira after a run of one win in 14 Premier League games, with the Eagles just three points above the relegation zone.
Chairman Steve Parish told the club website: “It is with enormous regret that this difficult decision has been made.
“Ultimately, results in recent months have placed us in a precarious league position and we felt a change is necessary to give us the best chance of retaining Premier League status.”
Three consecutive 1-0 defeats against Aston Villa, Manchester City and Brighton have left the Eagles as the only top-flight team without a win in 2023.
Goalscoring has been their biggest issue, with just four netted in 11 matches since beating Bournemouth 2-0 on New Year’s Eve.
A daunting fixture list has undoubtedly contributed to Palace’s struggles, as 10 of those games have been against teams in the top half of the table.
Wilfried Zaha remains the talisman up front, but those signed to support him have failed to kick on after showing initial signs of promise.
The Eagles have shown a willingness to dig deep and defend resiliently, but just the occasional lapse in concentration is costing them dearly.
Let’s add 12/5 for the Gunners to win the second half 1-0 to our Arsenal vs Crystal Palace betting tips.
For those wanting a bigger pay-out, Martinelli to score first in a 2-0 home win is 22/1.
Last Palace line-up: Whitworth, Mitchell, Guehi, Andersen, Clyne, Lokonga, Schlupp, Doucoure, Olise, Zaha, Edouard.
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