The State of Play
Mikel Arteta is under pressure in charge of Arsenal at the moment as The Gunners have slipped away from the title race. The home team were beaten 2-0 by Liverpool in the third round of the FA Cup a couple of weeks ago and they have now managed just one victory in their last seven matches across all competitions, failing to take advantage of Manchester City’s poor form and list of absentees.
Roy Hodgson is under serious pressure in charge of Crystal Palace and there is an expectation that The Eagles may part company with the former Liverpool boss in the coming weeks. The supporter unrest continued in midweek as they suffered a 1-0 loss to Everton in their FA Cup third round replay in midweek.
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Team News
Mikel Arteta refused to suggest which players may be available for this weekend but has said a couple may return. Both Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus are reportedly facing late fitness tests.
Crystal Palace remain without several key players for this weekend with Michael Olise unavailable and Cheick Doucoure out for the rest of the season, too. The likes of Rob Holding and Joel Ward are also set to be missing.
Expected Line-ups
Arsenal: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Kiwior; Odegaard, Rice, Havertz; Saka, Nketiah, Martinelli
Crystal Palace: Henderson; Clyne, Andersen, Guehi, Mitchell; Schlupp, Lerma, Richards, Hughes, Eze; Mateta
What they Said
Mikel Arteta has suggested that if performances remain consistent then results will improve: “We have to continue to be ourselves but there are certain details and marginal gains that we have to improve and evolve.”
Roy Hodgson has suggested his Palace side head to the Emirates with in a better mood than they had been: “I do think we take a little bit of positivity from the Wednesday evening game into that game tomorrow”.
When and How to Watch
The game at the Emirates Stadium will kick off at 12:30 on Saturday January 20th and will be shown live on Sky Sports in the UK. Subscribers to Sky Sports can alternately stream the game online via the ‘Sky Go’ app.
Prediction
Arsenal need to bounce back and bounce back quickly if they are to try and mount a genuine title challenge this season. The Gunners’ performances have been relatively decent but they have missed a lot of chance. The potential return of Gabriel Jesus will therefore be very welcome. Roy Hodgson’s days may be numbered in the Crystal Palace dugout and, despite Arsenal’s lack of form, a comfortable home win is to be expected here.
