Crystal Palace vs. Arsenal: Preview & Predictions

Premier League betting fans can breathe a sigh of relief knowing the English Premier League 2022-23 season is set to kick off this weekend. Arsenal and Crystal Palace are up against each other in the season opener on Friday. 

Gunners fans will be hoping to build on a fantastic 2021-22 season, even though they narrowly missed out on the Champions League places. Arsenal has had an excellent preseason, and Mikel Arteta has made some astute signings. 

Although Crystal Palace had some memorable wins last season, they had to settle for a 12th-place finish. The Eagles had a strong preseason, with just the loss to Manchester United blighting their record. 

This is a tantalizing test for both teams and a mouth-watering prospect for Premier League betting, with both teams boasting impressive attacking players. Let’s take at what to expect at Selhurst Park.

Transfers & Preseason Form

Crystal Palace

Patrick Vieira has been busy in the transfer market, with Cheick Doucouré, Chris Richards, Sam Johnstone, and Malcolm Ebiowei all arriving at Palace. The standout signing is likely to be Chris Richards, a highly rated young center-back who will add some steel to the Eagle’s defense.

It doesn’t look like a new signing will be the most exciting thing about Palace this season, however, with striker Wilfred Zaha in blistering form in the preseason with five goals to his name. 

This is impressive because he didn’t travel to Asia or Australia with the team. Another player to watch is midfielder Eberechi Eze. Eze has starred in the middle of the park after Connor Gallagher returned to Chelsea at the end of his loan spell last season. 

Palace looks ready for the new season, with just the one loss to build on.

Arsenal

Mikel Arteta pulled out all the stops for this year’s transfer window; Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko from Manchester City are the obvious standout players on the list, but Arteta also signed Fabio Vieira, Matt Turner, and Marquinhos. 

Jesus, in particular, has hit the ground running, scoring seven goals in five preseason games. He has formed a formidable partnership with young striker Bukayo Saka with nearly half of the Gunners’ impressive 14-goal tally in preseason coming from a combination between the two players.

Predicted Lineups

Crystal Palace (4-3-3): Guaita; Clyne, Anderson, Ward, Mitchell; Rak-Sakyi, Milivojevic, Kouyate; Ayew, Mateta, Edouard

Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Ramsdale; Cedric, White, Gabriel, Tavares; Xhaka, Partey; Saka Odegaard, Martinelli; Gabriel Jesus

Arsenal vs. Crystal Palace Predictions

The odds are putting Arsenal as the clear favorite for the first game of the 2022-23 English Premier League season and off the back of their preseason, it’s hard to disagree. 

The Gunners will look for a solid start, and their squad looks formidable after an excellent transfer window. However, Crystal Palace did beat Arteta’s team 3-0 in their last meeting, and this will give the Eagles a boost going into this game.

While I expect Arsenal to take all three points, I think this is going to be a close game with plenty of goals. Both teams have an exceptional attack force, and it’s going to be a riveting contest at Selhurst Park. What better way to kick off the new EPL season?

Prediction: Arsenal -120