Football Results

The home team, Arsenal, currently occupies the sixth place in the table and has even 14 points more than 12th-positoned Crystal Palace. However, the Palace comes to the Emirates after two consecutive wins and will surely give its best in order to improve impression from their recent match at the Selhurst Park which the Gunners won 3-2.

Arsenal

Right after the match problems started to pile up for coach Wenger as his team won just two points from three following rounds of the Premier League and was eliminated from the FA Cup by second-division Nottingham Forrest. The one result in the period that can be tentatively called positive was away draw with city rival Chelsea 0-0, given that Arsenal has chance to reach the great final of the League Cup in the 2nd leg that will be played at its Emirates stadium.

Before that the Gunners must play this league match with Crystal Palace, which comes to the Emirates after two consecutive wins, while Arsenal lost away to Bournemouth 2-1 in previous league round. Wenger again has a fair deal of problems with absences and right now out of action are injured stopper Koscielny, midfielder Cazorla and forward Giroud, while not fully ready are defenders Monreal and Kolasinec, and midfielders Ramsey and Ozil, while forward Sanchez is on his way out from the club.

Probable lineups Arsenal: Cech – Chambers, Mustafi, Holding – Bellerin, Wilshere, Xhaka, Maitland-Niles – Iwobi, Welbeck – Lacazette

Crystal Palace

Unlike their city rivals atmosphere in Crystal Palace locker room is excellent ahead of the Saturday match, given they moved up in the table after two consecutive victories and now occupy the 12th place in the Premier League standings, having even five points more than 18th-positioned Stoke. True, in between the two league victories, away one over Southampton and home one over Burnley, coach Hodgson players were defeated in the third round of FA Cup by Brighton away 2-1.

Perhaps that was a good thing for them as they have no more obligations in this competition and can fully focus on the survival race in continuation of season. Since Crystal Palace have more and more successes in it recently it is quite realistic to expect that now play very bravely against Arsenal from the first minute, regardless that even eight players are out of action due to injuries; defenders Ward, Sakho, Dann and Schlupp, midfielders Loftus-Cheek and Puncheon, and forwards Townsend and Wickham.

Probable lineups Crystal Palace: Hennessey – Fosu-Mensah, Kelly, Tomkins, van Aanholt – Cabaye, Milivojevic, McArthur – Zaha, Benteke, Sako

Verdict:

Although the Palace is in much better shape than Arsenal ahead of their match we have nevertheless decided to play on Arsenal’s victory given that in case of new defeat this team would probably lose the chance to reach the Champions League.

Pick: Asian handicap -1.25 Arsenal 2.0 - 20/10 @1XBet