Starting the season with a London derby is a good sign that the season will be exciting. It was the same way we kickstarted last season as Arsenal took on newcomers Brentford in an incredible opening match. It gave us a glimpse of what to expect throughout the season, and like always, it delivered.
This season we would be hoping to get more excitement, unpredictability, and twists in events. It would be more exciting to have a start like this as both clubs want to begin their season on high.
We would see Crystal Palace under Patrick Viera, a former Arsenal player, and Arteta handling the affairs of Arsenal. It is gearing to be a good match.
Without wasting time, let’s look at the match preview and individual preview to see how the players are gearing up to face each other.
Crystal Palace vs. Arsenal Matchup Preview
As always, London Derbies are always exciting to watch. We get an incredible end-to-end action from either side in a bid for them to finish higher than the other on the Premier League standings.
Therefore, it is never an easy match for any of the sides, even though one is usually considered better than the other.
Top London Teams
Crystal Palace and Arsenal are some of the top London teams in the EPL, and seeing that the Premier League schedule puts them as the season opener is a good sign.
We saw this matchup last season, and it didn’t end well for Arsenal. It was one of the top games that contributed to Arsenal missing out on the UEFA Champions League.
Arsenal’s Chance
This is Arsenal’s chance for revenge as they travel to Selhurst Park on Friday. Arteta and his boys won’t take this game lightly because it would give them the boost they need to push for a top-four finish and show the league that their preseason form wasn’t a fluke. Undoubtedly, this would be an epic matchup.
We would love to see how the match pans out and who takes home the three points following the recruitment both teams have done over the summer transfer window.
Crystal Palace vs. Arsenal Odds Breakdown
| Crystal Palace | Draw | Arsenal |
| +320 | +280 | -125 |
With Arsenal’s recent blazing form, it is no shock that they are considered the favorites to win the game, according to Crystal Palace vs. Arsenal Odds.
Even following both teams head-to-head, Arsenal has had an impressive series of records against Crystal Palace. Therefore, they have a better chance of winning the game after 90 minutes.
Odds for this Matchup
Crystal Palace has Premier League odds of +320 to win the game, giving them a 24% expected winning chance, which is extremely low for any team in the EPL.
And of all the times they have the +320 odds, they’ve won only 18% of those matches. So, it is a low return, and betting on them is risky. For Arsenal, their odds are -125 to win.
The team is the clear favorite, and their expected winning chance rate is 56%, and for all the games they had the same odds, they’ve won 56% of them. Therefore, they have a high chance of getting over the line, but we can’t predict the EPL easily.
Crystal Palace vs. Arsenal Betting Preview
Crystal Palace might be the underdog in this tie, but going through their records, they’ve been giving Arsenal a tough time in the EPL.
The team barely lost to Arsenal, and given that it is the season opener, we expect them to put in more work and push for the win against one of their top London rivals.
However, Arsenal would want revenge as they could not get a single win against Crystal Palace last season.
As Crystal Palace took four points, Arsenal could only get one point for both legs. Therefore, this tie would be different, and we most likely see a different kind of set-up from Arsenal.
EPL Toughness
Every game in the EPL is tough, and if any team wants to make it to the top positions, they have to take each one seriously.
As a result, we don’t expect anything different from the match, and it would be a tricky game to bet on as the outcome can go either way.
Crystal Palace Analysis
With the season just getting started, there isn’t much to go by except for the preseason games, and Crystal Palace had some good results throughout their friendly matches.
However, the team didn’t beat any Premier League team during this period, which is not a good sign for Viera and his team.
They would have to evaluate their preseason form, see where they lacked, and how to fix those loopholes. It would take some time to get the team firing, but they can always come back stronger for any game. With new players on the team, we would expect them to have a different style of play.
Crystal Palace’s Last Season
Last season, we saw plenty of Conor Gallagher in the team, but with Gallagher back to Stamford Bridge, Viera would have to find his star player.
Fortunately, a list of players can fit into this description. The only problem is that they need to get it done as soon as possible if they want to take anything away from the game against Arsenal.
Arsenal Analysis
Arsenal is not a stranger to opening day games. However, their last outing is still fresh on every fan’s mind.
Losing 2-0 to Brentford, a team that just got promoted to the EPL, wasn’t a good way to start the season, and it took time before the team could get their act together and start winning games.
Therefore, Arteta would not want to make the same mistakes as last season. So, we expect a more compact and solid team to start the game.
Arsenal’s Form
Also, with the grudge between both teams, Arsenal would likely approach this game with more zest. And following their preseason form, the team seems ready for the season.
We saw a different Arsenal with Gabriel Jesus leading the line for Arteta’s men. Because of that, we think this would be a different showdown compared to what we saw when Arsenal went to Selhurst park. Undoubtedly, Arsenal would be more prepared this time.
Crystal Palace vs. Arsenal Pick and Prediction
Crystal Palace has become more defensive since Viera took charge of the team, but they surprisingly found ways to score goals. Meanwhile, Arsenal is a progressive team that can hurt anyone on the counter.
As a result, we expect the game to start slowly and open up eventually. But with Arsenal’s superior squad, they should get the win at the end of 90 minutes.
Final Score Prediction: 3-1
Pick: Arsenal to win (-125)
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