Arsenal vs Crystal Palace 28/10/19

28 October 2019

Arsenal will try to improve on their mixed start to the Premier League (PL) season when they face Crystal Palace at the Emirates Stadium this weekend.

Unable to plug his leaky defense, Unai Emery has seen his side concede at least one goal in seven of their last eight PL outings, with only three teams from the upper half of the table shipping more goals than Arsenal (12) so far. Also, the Gunners can’t be pleased with their recent defensive output against Crystal Palace, as they’ve failed to keep a clean sheet in five of their last top-flight H2Hs, allowing 2+ match goals four times in the process (W2, D1, L2). But, the North Londoners are unbeaten in all four PL home fixtures this term (W3, D1), with each of those triumphs coming via a single-goal margin. Another encouragement for the home side is that Arsenal scored over 1.5 match goals in five of six matches at the Emirates this season, avoiding defeat in each (W5, D1).

Meanwhile, Crystal Palace travel across London, having won two of their last four PL games (D1, L1), with three of those matches featuring under 2.5 goals. The Eagles have, however, failed to outfox last season’s top-five sides so far this season, losing both of their such fixtures without scoring a single goal. It has been ‘all or nothing’ for Palace away from home this term (W2, L2), with both of their road wins coming via the identical 2-1 scoreline. Roy Hodgson’s men usually move up a gear in the second half, with three of four away goals they’ve scored coming beyond the hour mark. But, they have failed to keep a clean sheet in six consecutive PL trips, allowing 2+ match goals on three of those occasions.