The Matchday 17 Premier League clash between Crystal Palace and Arsenal will take place on December 21 at Selhurst Park in London. Crystal Palace vs. Arsenal: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Referee: Simon Hooper (England)
Matches – 9 (Premier League, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 43;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.8;
Red cards shown – 1;
Average fouls per match – 22;
Penalties – 0%.
Predicted lineups for Crystal Palace vs. Arsenal
Crystal Palace (3-4-2-1): Dean Henderson – Marc Guehi, Maxence Lacroix, Trevoh Chalobah – Daniel Munoz, Will Hughes, Jefferson Lerma, Tyrick Mitchell – Ismaila Sarr, Eberechi Eze – Jean-Philippe Mateta.
Arsenal (4-3-3): David Raya – William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Jurrien Timber, Myles Lewis-Skelly – Mikel Merino, Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard – Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli.
Each team's starting lineup from their last match in this tournament is listed.
Crystal Palace
The Londoners are gradually distancing themselves from the relegation zone, currently sitting four points clear. This improvement is due to a five-match unbeaten run in the league. Notably, only one of these matches was against an easier opponent, Ipswich (1-0). In the other four matches, they faced much stronger opponents – Aston Villa (2-2), Newcastle (1-1), Manchester City (2-2), and Brighton (3-1).
Defender Daniel Munoz is suspended for this game.
- Crystal Palace has not lost in 7 of their last 8 Premier League matches (3 wins, 4 draws).
- Both teams scored in 4 of the last 5 league matches involving the Londoners.
- The club has lost the first half only once in their last nine Premier League games (3 wins, 5 draws).
Arsenal
The Gunners dropped four points after drawing their last two matches against Fulham (1-1) and Everton (0-0). Despite a six-match unbeaten run in the league (3 wins, 3 draws), Mikel Arteta's side is already six points behind Liverpool (who also have a game in hand). It's worth noting that the Londoners have one of the best defenses in the Premier League, conceding just 15 goals (only Liverpool has a better record with 13 goals conceded).
Defenders Takehiro Tomiyasu and Ben White are out due to injuries. The participation of two more defenders, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Riccardo Calafiori, is in doubt.
- In 6 of the last 7 league matches involving the Londoners, there were no more than three goals scored.
- In the last 22 Premier League matches, Arsenal has suffered only two defeats (14 wins, 6 draws).
- The Gunners have won only once in the second half of their last six away Premier League games (3 draws, 2 losses).
Crystal Palace vs. Arsenal: Match Prediction
The hosts of this London derby have secured only one home win this season, defeating Tottenham 1-0. Only three Premier League clubs have worse home records. Crystal Palace performs slightly better away (11th in the Premier League). I predict that Oliver Glasner's side will lose the upcoming match, as Arsenal is keen to close the gap on the league's top two. If the Gunners drop points again against a team from the bottom half of the table, they could fall out of the Champions League zone by Christmas.
In the last two seasons, Arsenal has won all four league meetings against Crystal Palace. The goal difference is telling – 12:1 in favor of Mikel Arteta's team. Incidentally, the Spanish manager has a positive record against Crystal Palace with 5 wins, 3 draws, and just 1 loss in the Premier League. Therefore, I favor the prediction – Arsenal to win.
