Thursday evenings Premier League fixtures sees Arsenal face off against Crystal Palace at the Emirates stadium as Mikel Arteta looks to make it four wins on the bounce for the first time since October 2018.
The Gunners are starting to find their feat again after a barren run of results in the Premier League, while Crystal Palace have struggled for consistency for much of the campaign but could go ahead of Arsenal into 11th place with a win – they are also two games unbeaten at the Emirates (W1, D1).
TEAM NEWS
Arsenal:
Mikel Arteta will be boosted by the return of midfielder Thomas Partey after a month out with a thigh problem.
Embed from Getty ImagesDefender Gabriel could also be in line for a return following a period of self-isolation with mild coronavirus symptoms.
Gabriel Martinelli who injured his ankle in the pre-match warm-up of their FA Cup fixture with Newcastle is set to miss out. However, Arsenal are hopeful he will return to training in the next few days.
Crystal Palace:
Palace will be without defender Mamadou Sakho, who picked up a thigh strain in Friday’s FA Cup defeat at Wolves.
However, Hodgson will be boosted by the return of Gary Cahill who is available again after a hamstring strain.
Luka Milivojevic, who has scored five times in six appearances against Arsenal, will be contention despite breaching COVID-19 regulations.
MATCH FACTS:
- Arsenal are winless in the past four Premier League meetings, though three were drawn.
- The Gunners have scored in all 20 home league meetings.
- Mikel Arteta’s side could set an outright club Premier League record of 12 consecutive home matches without a clean sheet.
- Roy Hodgson has only won three of his 18 Premier League matches against the Gunners.
LIKELY LINE-UPS:
Arsenal: Leno; Bellerin, Holding, Mari, Tierney; Xhaka, Elneny; Saka, Smith-Rowe, Aubameyang; Lacazette
C Palace: Guaita; Ward, Kouyate, Cahill, Van Aanholt; Townsend, McArthur, Milivojevic, Eze; Zaha, Benteke
SCORE PREDICTION: Arsenal 2-1 Crystal Palace
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