🕟 Kick Off: 17:30 GMT

📍 Location: Selhurst Park, Croydon, London

📺 UK Broadcaster: Sky Sports

🙎🏻‍♂️ Referee: Simon Hooper

🔴 Arsenal Team News:

• Rice missed the cup game midweek but will likely be available for this game.
• Zinchenko and Calafiori have missed the last 4 games. Their current condition is unknown.
• Tomiyasu and Ben White remain absent.

⚽ Arsenal Form: 🟩🟧🟩🟧🟩

🦅 Crystal Palace Team News:

• Munoz is serving a suspension after accumulating five yellow cards.
• Wharton (groin), Riad (knee), and Franca (ribs) are absent due to injury.
• Rob Holding has been frozen out of the squad and is training with the U21s due to a falling out with Glasner.

⚽ Crystal Palace Form: 🟥🟩🟧🟩🟧

⚔️ Head-to-Head:

• Arsenal 3-2 Crystal Palace (18th Dec 2024, EFL Cup)
• Arsenal 5-0 Crystal Palace (20th Jan 2024, Premier League)
• Crystal Palace 0-1 Arsenal (21st Aug 2023, Premier League)
• Arsenal 4-1 Crystal Palace (19th Mar 2023, Premier League)
• Crystal Palace 0-2 Arsenal (5th Aug 2022, Premier League)

📖 Match Facts:

• The last two times Crystal Palace won this fixture it was by a result of 3-0. This happened in 2022 and 2017.
• Arsenal have only lost to Crystal Palace 6 times since their first meeting in 1934, with 34 wins and 16 draws.

🎲 Odds (Betway):

• Arsenal – 4/7
• Draw – 3/1
• Crystal Palace – 19/4

✍🏼 Pre-Match Ramblings

I haven’t got much to say here following writing pretty much the exact same post midweek. I even copied the previous post instead of my usual draft placeholder.

Jesus appeared right in time for Christmas midweek, scoring a hat-trick to see us through to the semi final of the League Cup where we will face Newcastle. We should be winning that tournament. I have us to beat Newcastle over two legs, especially if we beat them at home in the first leg.

As for this game, I imagine Crystal Palace will be up for it after scoring early at the Emirates. The away fans midweek were awfully loud, so this will be a hostile place to go especially after we broke their hearts with a comeback. They may well be up for it, but our starting lineup may look very different. Saliba and Gabriel will start, of course, and I would like to see Timber and MLS back in their fullback positions from the Everton game.

Jesus should absolutely start this game after his hat-trick on Wednesday. An in-form Jesus may well be exactly what we need to get our title charge back on track.