Two sides in contrasting form clash at Selhurst Park as upwardly-mobile Arsenal take on struggling Crystal Palace
Arsenal are looking to secure their 12th successive win in all competitions when they take on Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Sunday.
There was understandable concern at the start of the season as fans pondered how the team would cope in the post-Arsene Wenger era given the struggles some of their rivals endured following the departure of an established manager.
Those concerns only increased after two successive defeats to open the season, but Unai Emery’s side have won every game since to raise hopes of a successful campaign.
Another win on Sunday would be the first time Arsenal have won 12th successive games since 2007 and could lift the Gunners as high as third.
The feel-good factor at the Emirates Stadium is in sharp contrast to the mood at Crystal Palace, who go into this game on the back of three successive defeats.
The Eagles have won just twice in the Premier League this season – both away from home – to sit 15th in the table and just two points outside the relegation zone.
| Game | Crystal Palace v Arsenal |
| Date | Sunday, October 28 |
| Time | 1.30pm GMT / 9.30am ET |
In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial) .
New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| NBCSN | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game can be watched live on TV on Sky Sports Premier League & Sky Sports Main Event. It can be streamed live online using Sky Go.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Sky Sports Main Event & Premier League | Sky Go |
| Position | Crystal Palace players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Speroni, Hennessey, Guaita |
| Defenders | Ward, Van Aanholt, Tomkins, Dann, Sakho, Schlupp, Souare, Wan-Bissaka, Jach, Kelly |
| Midfielders | Milivojevic, Meyer, Kouyate, Townsend, McArthur, Williams, Kaikai, Puncheon, Reidewald |
| Forwards | Sorloth, Ayew, Benteke, Wickham. |
Crystal Palace have midfielder Max Meyer and forward Alexander Sorloth available after both players missed last weekend’s defeat against Everton.
Connor Wickham is also available after making his injury comeback as a late substitute at Goodison Park. Christian Benteke and Joel Ward are both still out.
Crystal Palace XI: Hennessey, Wan-Bissaka, Tomkins, Sakho, Van Aanholt, Kouyate, Milivojevic, McArthur, Townsend, Ayew, Zaha.
Subs: Guaita, Kelly, Schlupp, Riedewald, Puncheon, Meyer, Sorloth.
| Position | Arsenal players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Cech, Leno, Martinez |
| Defenders | Bellerin, Koscielny, Holding, Montreal, Mustafi, Mavropanos, Kolasinac, Lichtsteiner, Jenkinson, Sokratis |
| Midfielders | Elneny, Mkhitaryan, Ramsey, Ozil, Iwobi, Maitland-Niles, Xhaka, Torreria, Guendouzi, Smith-Rowe |
| Forwards | Lacazette, Aubameyang, Welbeck, Nketiah |
Petr Cech is on the bench, with the former Chelsea goalkeeper having recovered from a hamstring injury.
Laurent Koscielny is back in training after an Achilles injury but isn’t yet ready for a return.
Arsenal XI: Leno, Bellerin, Mustafi, Holding, Xhaka, Torreira, Guendouzi, Iwobi, Ozil, Aubameyang, Lacazette.
Subs: Cech, Lichtsteiner, Sokratis, Ramsey, Smith Rowe, Mkhitaryan, Welbeck.
Arsenal are priced at odds of 3/4 to win according to bet 365 , while a draw is available at 16/5. A win for Crystal Palace is priced at 18/5.
Click here to see all of bet 365’s offers for the game, including goalscoring markets, correct score predictions and more.
Unai Emery insists he isn’t thinking about records as his Arsenal side seek a 12th successive victory against Crystal Palace.
The Gunners are on their best winning run for 11 years and three more victories will equal the club record of 14 set by George Graham’s side between September and November 1987.
“Three matches… that’s a lot of matches. We are only thinking of the next match against Crystal Palace. We are also enjoying each moment with our supporters,” said Emery.
“They have a high demand for us because every match is not easy for us. Historically, this has been very difficult for us and I know this. We are thinking about three points at Crystal Palace but we know that it’s very difficult to win there. For us, continuing to win is what we want but we know it’s not easy and we can lose.
“We’re only thinking about the best performance for us. We want to continue winning and we also want to continue to improve things. Each match is a big opportunity for every player to show us they can take big responsibility with this personality to play like we want. We need every player.”
Mesut Ozil is likely to be recalled to the starting line-up after being rested for Thursday’s Europa League win in Lisbon.
The German put in a man-of-the-match performance against Leicester on Monday, having a hand in all three goals, and appears to be enjoying his football again under Emery’s stewardship.
It’s quite a revival in fortunes for the former Real Madrid man, who endured a miserable World Cup with Germany over the summer before retiring from international football following a disagreement with the German FA (DFB).
Like Ozil, Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have also been thriving under Emery’s leadership. The duo have scored 13 goals between them already this season while only Manchester City have scored more Premier League goals than the Gunners.
How Roy Hodgson would dearly love that kind of firepower at Selhurst Park.
Crystal Palace have the best defensive record in the bottom half, but only Huddersfield have scored fewer than the Eagles’ five goals so far – with none of those coming at Selhurst Park.
They have won just once since the opening day of the season and go into this game on the back of three successive defeats.
With Christian Benteke still sidelined there is an overreliance on Wilfried Zaha to both create and score chances. Hodgson will hope the return to fitness of Alexander Sorloth and Connor Wickham will ease the burden on the Ivory Coast international.
Things certainly won’t get any easier for Palace in the coming weeks, with Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester United lying in wait after Sunday’s game.
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