Game Week 9 Predictions: Arsenal to beat Palace at the Emirates

Arsenal face Crystal Palace at Emirates, aiming to stay top of the Premier League. Palace seek a win after recent loss. Expect a thrilling match.

Jean Phillippe Mateta will have it all to do against the Arsenal defense on Sunday, will he find joy against the Gunners? (Photo credit: Opta)

 Arsenal vs Crystal Palace

Emirates Stadium

3:00pm

Arsenal could once again be the biggest winner in the Premier League this weekend if they manage to beat Crystal Palace at the Emirates on Sunday.

The Gunners currently lead the league table by two points, with Sunderland in second place after beating Chelsea 2-1 at the Stamford Bridge Stadium on Saturday. Manchester City could well have a say in how the table shapes up at the end of Sunday; however, a win is all Arsenal need to retain top spot.

Crystal Palace is visiting the Emirates again, seeking a result that would return them to winning ways too after back-to-back league games without a win. The Eagles are yet to pick maximum points after beating Liverpool at Selhurst Park.

It was also a strange midweek engagement for Oliver Glasner’s side as they slumped to a shock 1-0 loss at home in the Europa Conference League to lowly AEK Larnaca. The Eagles need a result here for confidence, but can they overcome this Arsenal wall?

In sharp contrast, Arsenal hosted and destroyed Atletico Madrid 4-0 to strengthen their chances of finishing in the top 8 of the Champions League group phase, with Diego Simeone claiming he has never seen a team like Arsenal.

Liverpool lost at Brentford on Saturday night, Chelsea lost too, and, depending on what Manchester City decides to do against Aston Villa, the Gunners could well extend their lead at the top to five points if they can get their job done at the Emirates against Crystal Palace.

Arsenal is still without Noni Madueke, Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz, but the potentially biggest miss in this one could be Gabriel Magalhaes, who is carrying a knock from midweek, while Pinheiro Hincapie is fit and available. Mikel Arteta would prefer his first-choice centre backs fit and available for this one.

Palace has what it takes to rattle any team on their day. They may have lost Eberechi Eze to Arsenal, but they have been solid and could still earn something from this game. Jean-Philippe Mateta hit a hat-trick last weekend; Arsenal must keep an eye on him.

Bukayo Saka is always a threat; Palace must be wary of him. Viktor Gyokeres hit a brace against Atletico in midweek; he offers something upfront. Set pieces would be another outlet for Arsenal; while Palace defends better, they can’t underrate Arsenal’s dead-ball prowess.

Both sides have reasons to go for this, but the visitors are expected to defend for most of the game. The game plan will be for Palace to hit Arsenal on the break with the pace of Ismaila Sarr and Heremy Pino. It should be a fun game to watch.

Verdict: Arsenal to win