- Arsenal have won five consecutive games across all competitions, including their last away match.
- Crystal Palace have won one, drawn two, and lost two of their last five Premier League games.
- Arsenal have won two and drawn one of the last three head-to-head meetings in all competitions.
Arsenal to edge another close affair
Crystal Palace’s 3-0 away defeat to Manchester City was followed up by an uninspired 2-2 away draw to Brentford, and now they face another top-seven side in Arsenal. Mikel Arteta’s side have won their last two EPL games, a 1-0 victory over West Ham and a 1-0 win at Burnley, as well as beating Atletico Madrid 1-0 in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final earlier this week.
So the visitors are in red-hot form but Palace haven’t been terrible in their recent results, so what have they been doing wrong? According to the latest Crystal Palace vs Arsenal prediction, they’ve lacked a consistent source of goals and have conceded too many at home, but Oliver Glasner’s system has been a step in the right direction.
The Eagles’ system
Palace have won four, drawn nine and lost five of their home matches in the EPL this term, failing to make Selhurst Park a stronghold. Their recent upturn in form has seen them pick up one win and one draw from their last two, but they remain inconsistent.
Glasner has implemented a 3-4-3 system at Palace, using his wing-backs to press high and create numerical advantages in the offensive third. Palace sit in a mid-block in the middle third but will look to press in the last third to try and create transitions. In this Crystal Palace vs Arsenal preview, it’s evident that both teams rely heavily on tactical discipline and transitions to create chances.
Arsenal’s system
Arsenal have won ten, drawn five and lost three of their 18 away EPL matches, and they’re heavy favorites for Sunday’s game. Arteta’s 4-3-3 has morphed into a 3-2-5 in possession, where they play positional overloads, play vertical passes to break lines and press hard to win the ball back. Their high defensive line is a staple of the system and their ability to counter-press and win the ball in dangerous areas is key to their attacking play.
Arsenal to win a close affair
Palace are 15th in the EPL table after picking up 44 points from 35 games, and Arsenal are the runaway leaders with 79 points from 36 matches. The only thing which could hinder the visitors’ chances is that the title is already wrapped up and the hosts are focusing on a European final.
However, our Crystal Palace vs Arsenal prediction is that Arsenal have the better form and more quality in the squad, so they should be able to edge a low-scoring matchup. I expect Palace to be frustrated by Arsenal’s ability to play through them in possession, while they will find it hard to create openings against such a solid Gunners side.
Palace average 1.00 goals per game at home, conceding 1.17 goals per match, while Arsenal are scoring 1.56 goals on average away from home. The Eagles have not beaten Arsenal at home in recent encounters and lost the previous head-to-head in a 9-8 thriller in the EFL Cup four months ago.
Jean-Philippe Mateta leads the Palace goalscorers charts with 11 goals in 29 EPL games, but he’s been outplayed in recent weeks by Ismaila Sarr, who has scored two of Palace's last three goals in their past five games. Viktor Gyoekeres leads the way for Arsenal with 14 goals in 34 appearances, scoring twice in his last five.
A tight game is expected with at least one clean sheet, and that’s reflected in the odds for under 2.5 goals, while the away win looks the most likely result. For those seeking further insights, check out our Crystal Palace vs Arsenal betting tips for additional analysis and recommendations. Finally, this Crystal Palace vs Arsenal prediction points towards a hard-fought contest that could be decided by a single moment of quality.
