Arsenal vs Crystal Palace LIVE: Premier League team news, line-ups and more today
Arsenal are back in Premier League action and are in desperate need of a win as they welcome Crystal Palace to the Emirates Stadium for Saturday’s early kick off.
Mikel Arteta’s side have been training in Dubai during the league’s split winter break and the manager will be hoping that a the rest period will turn around his team’s fortunes after a run of three games without a win. They have slipped down the table into fourth place though they are only five points behind leaders Liverpool.
Victory over Crystal Palace will put the Gunners back in contention to compete for the title but anything less might make the manager think about reinforcements for what is left of the January transfer window.
For their part, Crystal Palace will be hoping to pick up where they left off following a strong win over Brentford in their last league fixture. The Eagles defeated the Bees 3-1 before being knocked out of the FA Cup by Everton on Wednesday.
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Arsenal vs Crystal Palace LIVEArsenal host Crystal Palace in the Premier League with kick off at 12.30pm
The Gunners spent the winter break in Dubai and hope to get back to winning ways
Crystal Palace’s victory over Brentford gave them a buffer over the relegation battle but they’ll want to improve
Arsenal XI: Raya: White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Rice, Havertz, Odegaard, Saka, Trossard, Jesus
Crystal Palace XI: Henderson; Clyne, Andersen, Guehi, Mitchell; Richards, Lerma, Hughes; Eze, Schlupp, Mateta
Arsenal FC - Crystal Palace FC
Arsenal need to improve in front of goal11:55 , Mike Jones
Mikel Arteta’s side have scored one goal from 61 shots across their last three fixtures. They are in danger of losing three matches in a row at home without scoring for the first time since 1908.
Crystal Palace not were they want to be11:50 , Mike Jones
Crystal Palace’s tally of 21 points is their lowest after 20 matches of a Premier League campaign since they amassed 19 in 2018/19 during Roy Hodgson’s first spell as manager.
But, Palace can win consecutive league games for the first time since April, when they won their first three after reappointing Hodgson as manager.
Arsenal vs Crystal Palace11:45 , Mike Jones
Arsenal have taken just four points from their last 15 available. They had only dropped nine points from their opening 15 league games this season.
The Gunners could suffer four consecutive defeats in all competitions for the first time since February to March 2018 in Arsene Wenger’s final season as manager.
Hodgson on Arsenal11:40 , Mike Jones
Roy Hodgson says his team are underdogs against the Gunners this afternoon but knows that the Eagles have a good chance of taking something from the match especially given Arsenal’s recent record.
He said: “I’ve never taken a team to Arsenal thinking: ‘this is an easy one for us.’ It’s always been up against it really, the underdog, which we still are in this match as well.
“But I thought there were a lot of aspects to our play on Wednesday night which were very satisfying. I thought we carried out our gameplan pretty well and on another occasion, I think we’d have even got a result from that game. I do think we take a little bit of positivity from the Wednesday evening game into that game tomorrow with us.”
Arsenal vs Crystal Palace team changes11:35 , Mike Jones
Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko return from injury for Arsenal in a total of are four changes to the starting line-up with David Raya coming back into goal and Leandro Trossard preferred on the wing.
Crystal Palace makes two changes from the FA Cup defeat at Everton. Dean Henderson comes into goal while Jean-Philippe Mateta also starts.
Jesurun Rak-Sakyi remains sidelined with a hamstring issue.
Arsenal vs Crystal Palace line-ups11:30 , Mike Jones
Arsenal XI: Raya: White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Rice, Havertz, Odegaard, Saka, Trossard, Jesus
Crystal Palace XI: Henderson; Clyne, Andersen, Guehi, Mitchell; Richards, Lerma, Hughes; Eze, Schlupp, Mateta
Arteta on injuries and Arsenal’s Dubai training camp11:25 , Mike Jones
Mikel Arteta says that Arsenal still have a few players on the injury list but they are closer to returning after a successful winter break trip to Dubai.
“We still have a few unfortunately on that list that we haven’t managed to get back yet, but hopefully they are much closer and some of them are in a better place than we expected.” He replied when asked for an injury update.
“Individually I’m not going to tell you exactly how everybody is, but we are still missing a few.
“[The training camp] was great, it was a phenomenal camp in every sense. We worked really hard on things that we wanted to do, and we recharged our batteries.
“The context and the change in environment in beautiful weather helped, and the togetherness and the moments that we shared together were great. We feel fully recharged.
“I think it gave us an opportunity to look at things with a bit of perspective and analyse what we’ve been doing, and I will take a lot of positives from the first six months of the competition.
“Even though results haven’t gone our way in the last few games, when you look at what we have produced in terms of the Premier League and any other team, we are up there.”
Arsenal vs Crystal Palace11:20 , Mike Jones
Arsenal have won three consecutive Premier League encounters against Palace, following a run of one victory in the previous eight. Can they make it four in a row this afternoon?
Mikel Arteta will be hoping so.
Arsenal vs Crystal Palace11:15 , Mike Jones
Crystal Palace have won just five of the 47 league meetings, including only two away: 2-1 at Highbury in 1994 and 3-2 at Emirates Stadium in 2019.
Palace are unbeaten in their last three Premier League visits to Arsenal under Roy Hodgson. They were under the caretaker management of Paddy McCarthy when they lost 4-1 at the Emirates last season.
Mikel Arteta responds to Emile Smith Rowe transfer rumours amid West Ham links11:10 , Mike Jones
Mikel Arteta insists Emile Smith Rowe is settled at Arsenal amid reported interest from West Ham.
Smith Rowe has endured a frustrating time since he hit 10 goals in the 2021-22 campaign, with groin surgery restricting his role in the club’s unsuccessful title challenge last season.
England international Smith Rowe has also struggled with a knee issue this term, but even when he has been fit the 23-year-old has been reduced to cameo appearances with only one Premier League start among 12 outings in all competitions.
Mikel Arteta responds to Emile Smith Rowe transfer rumours
Will Palace be drawn into a relegation battle?11:05 , Mike Jones
Roy Hodgson discussed his disappointment with Palace’s campaign so far and rued the misfortune of having suffered injuries to some of his ky players.
However, he has high hopes for the remainder of the campaign and does not believe his team will be drawn into a fight to avoid relegation.
“I’ve been closer to the relegation zone than we are at the moment, that’s for sure, and often for very long periods of time,” he said. “I do have a lot of hope here that things are going to get a lot better when we maybe come over this very unfortunate period that we’ve been through.
“We haven’t just lost players who’ve been injured, we’ve lost them for months and months at a time. Six months is a hell of a long time to be out. Three-and-a-half months for [Ebere] Eze, that’s a long time. It’s not just a couple of weeks missing them, it’s a long period of time.
“I think the future looks a lot better. But at this particular moment in time it’s tough, and we’ve got to toughen up ourselves and get through it and do it in the best possible way.
“If I go back over the last four or five games, we haven’t got the wins that I would have liked, but we certainly haven’t been particularly outplayed anywhere. We haven’t looked as though we haven’t got the fight or the capacity to get ourselves out of the situation.
“So that’s what I shall keep believing and I shall keep encouraging the players to show the necessary resilience and toughness themselves, because no-one said this should be easy.
“No-one who comes into the Premier League, manager, coach, player, should ever think, well this will be easy, I’m here, now I’m on easy street. No, you sign up not to be on easy street, so get on with being on what the opposite of easy street is.”
Arteta on Crystal Palace11:00 , Mike Jones
Mikel Arteta spoke about what he is expecting from today’s match and claims that Crystal Palace will be a difficult team to beat. The Arsenal boss said: “[Hodgson’s] teams are extremely well-organised and hard to beat.
“He’s really good at provoking things that he wants in the game and tomorrow is going to be a big battle for us, that’s for sure.
“We are recharged, full of energy and super motivated. The team is super motivated and we want to attack the second half of the season with a lot of ambitions and with the understanding that the team is capable of big things.
“They are convinced of that.”
Hodgson on how Palace handle the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules10:55 , Mike Jones
Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson was asked about the increasing prevalence of the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules following the ongoing enquiry into Everton and Nottingham Forest’s finances. The Toffees have already been hit with a points deduction in this campaign and could face further consequences.
“The club here is well run in that respect, so I’ve never heard that we can’t do this or we can’t do that, or we’ve got to sell a player because of FFP [Financial Fair Play],” Hodgson said. “That’s never happened during my time at the club, and that’s because the club is well run.
“Whether or not the club will be able to generate the money necessary to buy a player or to facilitate the loan, that’s another question. But they have done in the past, so I’ll have to wait and see if that’s going to be a possibility.
“If you’re talking purely Crystal Palace, then the FFP doesn’t enter into our thoughts at this moment in time. But if you’re asking generically, do clubs have to start thinking about this, I think what’s happened recently, certainly with Everton and now Nottingham Forest, and there’s still a cloud hanging over the head of Manchester City and Chelsea, so it’s very much a relevant topic.
“So I’m pretty certain that quite a few clubs are looking now and thinking: ‘Well, what is our financial situation like? What will happen if we make these decisions? And will it push us into a situation where we’re going to be charged?’
“But as I say, that’s for other clubs to worry about, not us.”
Leah Williamson issues warning to Fifa over ‘unsustainable’ schedule after ACL injury10:50 , Mike Jones
Leah Williamson has issued a warning to Fifa and Uefa that their crowded calendar is placing “unsustainable” demands on top women’s players.
Arsenal defender Williamson is closing in on a return from a serious knee injury having resumed training for the first time since tearing her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in April.
The injury forced the England captain to miss last summer’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
A number of high-profile footballers, including Arsenal teammates Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema, also suffered ACL tears last season.
Leah Williamson issues warning to Fifa over ‘unsustainable’ schedule after ACL injury
Arsenal vs Crystal Palace prediction10:45 , Mike Jones
The winter break won’t have fully reset Arsenal’s squad following three games without a win but they will look more like themselves. Expect some fluid moves and stylish passing which, coupled with the home crowd and a need to win, should be enough to get them past the Eagles.
But only just.
Arsenal 2-1 Crystal Palace
Arsenal vs Crystal Palace predicted line-ups10:40 , Mike Jones
Arsenal XI: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Kiwior; Rice, Jorginho; Saka, Odegaard, Martinelli; Jesus.
Crystal Palace XI: Henderson; Clyne, Andersen, Guehi, Mitchell; Richards, Lerma; Franca, Eze, Schlupp; Mateta.
Early team news10:35 , Mike Jones
Mikel Arteta was vague about the fitness of his squad ahead of this fixture, suggesting that several of his players were “touch and go” on Friday.
Gabriel Jesus could be back from a knee problem that caused him to miss the FA Cup defeat to Liverpool, while Oleksandr Zinchenko will also be assessed. Fabio Vieira may be in contention following two months out.
Crystal Palace winger Jesurun Rak-Sakyi is still unavailable despite returning to training after a hamstring issue. Jordan Ayew is at the Africa Cup of Nations and Michael Olise remains out.
How to watch Arsenal vs Crystal Palace10:30 , Mike Jones
Arsenal vs Crystal Palace is due to kick off at 12.30pm GMT on Saturday 20 January at the Emirates Stadium.
Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on TNT Sports 1, with coverage on the channel from 11am GMT. Subscribers can stream the action via discovery+.
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Good morning!10:05 , Mike Jones
Welcome to The Independent’s coverage of today’s Premier League action between Arsenal and Crystal Palace.
The Gunners are hoping that the winter break has refreshed them nursed any niggling injuries within the squad. They are looking to reignite their title challenge and a win this afternoon would bring them within two points of league leaders Liverpool.
Palace, meanwhile, secured a needed 3-1 victory over Brentford in their last league game which has kept a buffer between them and the teams fighting off relegation. Any points they pick up at the Emirates today will be a big boon though Roy Hodgson will be focusing on a strong performance from his team.
We’ll have all the updates, team news and match action throughout the day so stick with us as we build up to kick off at 12.30pm.
