Soccer predictions for Arsenal – Crystal Palace

Arsenal faces Crystal Palace at the Emirates in a match from the 8th round of the Premier League. Our soccer predictions online for this game are about to follow. Stay tuned!

Arsenal are still recovering from the terrible way they started the 2021/22 season. The Gunners kicked off their campaign with three consecutive losses and they scored no goals as well. Mikel Arteta’s job as the manager was in danger, but the club decided to give him few more chances. And we can say Arsenal started to improve.

The Gunners are unbeaten in their last four matches in the Premier League and won three of them. Before the international break Arsenal made their first draw for the season as well. Arteta’s team paid a visit to Brighton & Hove Albion at the American Express, but the fixture ended without a winner – 0-0.

But let’s talk about some positives here. Arsenal conceded just one goal in their last five matches in all competitions. This should tell us that Mikel Arteta is starting to make some good touches when it comes to the team’s defending. The summer signing Ben White is playing with more confidence now while Gabriel Magalhaes is trying to complement him as good as possible. The fullbacks Kieran Tierney and Takehiro Tomiyasu also deserve praise for their performances in defense. For many years defending was one of Arsenal’s biggest problems, but now things are starting to look better for the Londoners.

One of the main reasons for this is the return of Thomas Partey. The Ghanaian midfielder is crucial for the team’s performance in defense because he’s the one who usually stays a little bit ahead of the back four. In the last game against Brighton he was partnered with the new signing Albert-Mboyo Lokonga. The young Belgian is just 21-years old and he’s starting to show why Arsenal signed him before the start of the season.

Arsenal’s third-captain Granit Xhaka is a player who Mikel Arteta would usually use alongside Thomas Partey in midfield, but Xhaka is out for the year with an injury.

We can’t forget to mention another thing, though – Arsenal currently have a striker problem. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have scored just twice since the start of the season while Alexandre Lacazette and Gabriel Martinelli don’t look so reliable at the moment. Arteta could be forced to sign another player in attack in January especially if Lacazette gets offloaded. There are some strong rumours that he won’t finish the season with the club. This means that the club will expect more from Gabriel Martinelli. The young Brazilian striker is rarely playing since the start of the season and he’s still about to score his first goal as well. Martinelli is just 20-years old and it’s too early to expect from him to be a super star, but surely he must try to prove he deserves a place in the club.

The Norwegian playmaker Martin Odegaard is shaping as one of Arsenal’s most important players at the moment. The former Real Madrid star is playing just behind the striker and he has the responsibility to create chances for his teammates. So far Odegaard has one goal and one assist in his record, so he’s starting to produce. His performances are going to be vital for the Gunners.

Crystal Palace won just one of their last five matches in the league. The Londoners are 14th in the Premier League standings with just 7 points won since the start of the campaign. Before the international break Palace made two consecutive draws against Brighton & Hove Albion and Leicester City.

What’s curious about this game on Monday is the return of Patrick Vieira to Arsenal’s home. Crystal Palace’s current manager is one of Arsenal’s biggest legends. He was part of Arsene Wenger’s legendary team called “The Invincibles” and he’s arguably one of the best midfielders in the Premier League history. Crystal Palace is Vieira’s first managerial job in England, so it’s really interesting to see how he will do.

Before the break Palace faced Leicester City at the Selhurst Park and won a point after a 2-2 draw with the Foxes. It was a heroic performance from the hosts because they were two goals behind until the 61th minute. Michael Olise Jeffery Schlupp won the point for Palace as they scored twice between the 61th and the 72th minute.

Nathan Ferguson and Eberechi Eze remain injured in Crystal Palace’s camp. These two players didn’t make any appearances since the start of the season and they remain unavailable.

Patrick Vieira admitted to the press that he’s really excited about facing his former club Arsenal. Most likely the Emirates will greet its former hero with applauses, but of course they will hope to see him losing this one. At the same time Vieira will try to use his best weapons to hurt the Gunners. Wilfred Zaha remains Crystal Palace’s main player in attack, although he has scored just twice since the beginning of the season. Zaha remains the star in Palace’s squad, but players like Christian Benteke and Jordan Ayew should really give more contribution – they are without a goals since the start of the Premier League campaign.

The 21-years old midfielder Conor Gallagher is slowly turning into a key player for Crystal Palace. Gallagher already scored two goals in six games played so far which makes him a very prominent player in the team. He’s a young and talented midfielder who looks like a solid prospect for the future. It’d be interesting to keep an eye his development.

That’s the soccer predictions online for the Premier League clash between Arsenal and Crystal Palace on Monday. The Gunners will try to continue their raise in the standings as they were performing pretty well before the international break. At the same time Crystal Palace will try their best to remain above the relegation zone as their main goal right now is survival. It’s always difficult to play at the Emirates, but honestly there ain’t nothing easy in the Premier League.