ARSENAL will be looking to reignite their Premier League title challenge by earning a win over Crystal Palace at the Emirates on Saturday.
The Gunners were sitting at the top of the Premier League table on Christmas Day but they have since fallen down to fourth place following a pair of back-to-back defeats against both West Ham and Fulham.
To make matters worse, Mikel Arteta's men have since crashed out of the FA Cup courtesy of a 2-0 home loss against Liverpool, in a game that brought up my Bet Builder.
Having had almost a fortnight to stew over that latest setback, Arsenal will be desperate to arrest their slump in form by filing three points against Crystal Palace.
The 14th-placed Eagles ended 2023 by snapping an eight-game winless run in the Premier League with a 3-1 win over Brentford.
Roy Hodgson’s side have since played a pair of FA Cup third round ties with Everton, the second of which saw the Toffees triumph 1-0 on Wednesday night.
Outright Betting
Despite losing each of their last three matches in all competitions, Arsenal are heavy 3/10 favourites here at Bet 365.
Crystal Palace picked up a point in their recent away match at Man City but the same outcome here is as big as 9/2 (PaddyPower) while an away win is trading at a towering 10/1 (BetVictor).
Betting Angles
With Arsenal unbackable at the above-mentioned price, I’ll head to the Bet Builder and bundle up a home win, Over 3.5 Arsenal Corners and Jefferson Lerma to commit a foul at 10/11 with PaddyPower.
Having lost each of their last two Premier League matches, Mikel Arteta and co will know that they can ill-afford to drop any more points if they are to remain in the title conversation.
The Gunners had pocketed maximum points from their previous five Emirates assignments in the top-flight before their shock 2-0 defeat at home to West Ham last month, so a visit from Crystal Palace could represent a could opportunity to get back up and running.
While Roy Hodgson’s sides are notoriously difficult to beat, the Eagles' only road success in the top-flight since September came against relegation-threatened Burnley.
What’s more, Palace’s midweek exertions could also take their toll in North London, while Arsenal should have benefited from a couple of weeks rest.
As such, I’ll back the hosts to come out on top on Saturday, but to boost the odds, I’ll also go with a minimum of four Arsenal corners.
The Gunners are averaging a league-high 7.90 flag kicks this season, a tally that increases to 8.70 when going about their business in front of their own supporters.
To wrap up the selection, I’ll also back Crystal Palace’s Jefferson. Lerma to commit at least one foul during this all-London affair.
The combative Colombian midfielder is averaging 1.5 fouls per 90 in the top-flight this term, tackling his way into trouble at least once in 12 of his 15 league appearances so far.
It’s also worth noting that Lerma – who was booked against Everton in the FA Cup on Wednesday night – has committed a colossal combined total of nine fouls across his last two Premier League outings for Palace.
With that in mind, the 7/5 about Lerma giving away two fouls or more on Saturday also looks worthy of interest at 7/5 with PaddyPower.
This English Premier League match between Arsenal and Crystal Palace will be played on Jan 20, 2024 and kick off at 12:30. Check below for our tipsters best Arsenal vs Crystal Palace prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
