The new Premier League season is just hours away from kick-off as Crystal Palace take on Arsenal on Selhurst Park in the Friday night opener.
The Gunners head to south London hoping to make a better start compared to last season’s run of three defeats and no goals scored. Arsenal were bottom of the Premier League at the end of August last year, but managed to climb their way up to a fifth-placed finish come May, missing out on Champions League football on the final day.
Along the way, Mikel Arteta apologised to Arsenal fans after his side succumbed to a 3-0 defeat against Palace at Selhurst Park in early April. Jean-Phillipe Mateta and Jordan Ayew put the Eagles two goals up after just 24 minutes and Wilfried Zaha would add a third from the penalty spot in the second-half.
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After being tipped to be in for a relegation scrap last term, Patrick Vieira surprised his doubters after guiding Palace to 12th spot. But this season they will be without fan favourite Conor Gallagher, who returned to parent club Chelsea this summer at the end of his loan spell.
Gallagher bagged eight goals and five assists in all competitions for Palace and was voted the club’s 2021/22 player of the season by fans. Former Chelsea striker Chris Sutton is unsure whether Palace will be the same side without the midfielder.
“Arsenal have had a great pre-season, while I’m not sure Crystal Palace are the same threat now Conor Gallagher has gone back to Chelsea. It’s still a tough game for Mikel Arteta’s side, but everything is pointing towards a Gunners win,” Sutton told BBC Sport, predicting a 2-1 win for the north London side.
Meanwhile, former Palace striker Clinton Morrison believes that the Selhurst Park crowd may have an impact on the result. Morrison told William Hill : “I’m going for a 1-1 draw. Friday night is difficult at Selhurst Park and I think Palace will be in good form, but I just think Arsenal, with the signings they’ve made, it will be difficult.”
After missing out on Champions League football, some believe Arsenal can break into the top four this season after spending over £100million to strengthen their squad. Premier League winners Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko made the switch from Premier League champions Manchester City to north London, whereas Portuguese hot prospect Fabio Vieira joined from FC Porto in a £29.5m move.
Arsenal won six games out of six in pre-season, scoring 20 goals, and Gunners legend Paul Merson believes it is unlikely his former side will start the 2022/23 Premier League season like they did the last. “I know Arsenal didn’t start their Premier League campaign well last year, but they had several COVID cases in their squad back then,” Merson told Sportskeeda.
“I don’t see how Crystal Palace are going to stop Arsenal from scoring this weekend. Palace are a hard team to visit under lights, but this is a summer night.”
Predicting a 3-1 win for the Gunners, Merson added: “Mikel Arteta will probably go with his tried and tested team. Ben White played in midfield in pre-season, but I think he’ll play alongside Gabriel in defence. As the season went on last year, the two of them did really well for the team.
“Arteta’s best forward line at the moment should have Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka, and Gabriel Martinelli. There’s Emile Smith Rowe and Eddie Nketiah as well – they have a lot of options now. The most important thing for them was for Gabriel Jesus to settle in, and he’s hit the ground running.
“Arsenal need to make a statement now. This is a big game for them, because they need to lay down a foundation. If they lose here, people will assume that they’re flaky and still the same old Arsenal. If they want to make it to the top four this season, they need to win this game.”
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