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Crystal Palace v Arsenal
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Date: Monday 21st August
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Competition: Premier League
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Kick off: 20:00
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Watch live: Sky Sports Main Event
Arsenal head to Selhurst Park Monday night, where both teams will be aiming to make it two wins from two this season. Roy Hodgson led The Eagles to victory in their first game against newly promoted Sheffield United, where Odsonne Edouard was the only man on the scoresheet.
Arsenal dominated their first game against Nottingham Forest, but only managed to win 2-1. The Gunners had 78% possession, 8 corners, and 15 shots against their opponents. Star boy Saka earned man of the match, also scoring a goal in the process.
Palace have only managed one win from their last eight encounters against Arsenal, losing in both meetings last season. In fact, The Gunners were impressive last season in London derbies, setting a record for the most wins (10) against other London clubs.
It is safe to say that Monday night’s entertainment will be exciting, and also provide plenty of betting opportunities given the track record these two teams have. We will be exploring the best match ups and stand-out stats in this article using the Crystal Palace v Arsenal Cheat Sheet. You’re not going to want to miss this.
Crystal Palace Stats: Hodgson’s return sees Palace shots skyrocket
Despite many being surprised by Hodgson’s return to Selhurst Park back in March, the English manager turned out to be precisely what The Eagles were missing. Hodgson won five and drew three of his ten matches to finish the season in 11th place, the first time the club has ever finished above Chelsea. During Hodgson’s stint at the end of last season, Palace were unbeaten at home – not losing at Selhurst Park since the 11th of March (against Man City).
So, what changed in the Palace system?
Under Hodgson, The Eagles have been more attacking, averaging 15.7 shots per game, 5 higher than their previous average under former boss Patrick Viera. In their season opener this year, they had 24 shots against Sheffield. The vast bulk of these came from Odsonne Edouard and Eberechi Eze, combining for an impressive 15 shots at goal between them. Amongst these 24 shots, 8 hit the target: a significant increase on last season’s average of 3.5 shots on target per match.
Arsenal Stats: Can Arteta make it two for two?
Arsenal looked solid all-round last season, with many thinking they would claim the League title over Man City. Over the Summer they have only added to their strength, making some impressive signings – namely Declan Rice for a club record fee. They have also added strength up top, signing German international Kai Havertz.
Palace only managed to score once against Arsenal last season, conceding 6 across both games. Both Rice and Havertz are likely to start Monday evening and will make The Eagle’s job even harder than it was last season.
Averaging just shy of 6 corners and over 5 shots on target per match last season, Arsenal were a handful for many of their Premier League opponents. Against Palace, Arsenal had had both more corners and more shots in each game the two played last season.
Interestingly, since Mikel Arteta’s career has begun at Arsenal, The Gunners are yet to win an away league match on a Monday evening. However, Palace have only won an opening home game of each season once in the last 14 years. You can back the visitors to win the match at a price of 4/9.
Crystal Palace v Arsenal Cheat Sheet
Our Cheat Sheets are an essential tool for any bettor looking to find value in the market.
It does what it says on the tin – a sheet of stats that has been designed to give you a deeper understanding of the game ahead. From fouls committed to average team corners, the sheet has everything you could possibly want to know prior to placing a bet. During this article, we will be breaking down the major elements of the Crystal Palace v Arsenal Cheat Sheet.
🎯 Crystal Palace Offensive Stats: Eze leads in Palace shots
With Palace’s 24 shots, the most in an away Premier League game that Opta has ever recorded (since 2003-2004), Eberechi Eze took an impressive 8. Despite failing to hit the target on any of these, the English forward looked dangerous throughout the 90mins.
Last season, Eze outperformed all his teammates in terms of shots, averaging 2.39 per game. Of these, 0.85 were on target. On top of this, Eze is on both penalties and direct free kicks, increasing the likelihood of him having some shots Monday evening.
Last season Eze had a shot on target in each game Palace played against Arsenal, despite only coming on in the 82nd minute for one of them. Eze can be backed to repeat history and have a shot on target at 4/7. Alternatively, you could choose to back him for 2 or more shots at 1/3.
🎯 Arsenal Offensive Stats: Saka had the most goal involvements last season
Bukayo Saka has played in all of Arsenal’s last 81 matches, meaning a start on Monday evening sees him equal Paul Merson’s club record of 82 games in a row. Having scored in his opening game against Forest, he looks to be firmly fixed in Arteta’s plans.
Saka averaged 0.82 SOT and 2.43 shots last season, the 3rd highest of any Arsenal player. Against Forest he improved on these stats, having 3 shots with 2 hitting the target. Saka is also Arsenal’s penalty taker and shares the free-kick duties with Ødegaard.
Alongside these set pieces, Saka is often taking corners for Arsenal. The Gunners were the Premier League’s leading team when it came to goals scored from corners, recording 13. Due to this, Saka was able to rack up 11 assists last year. This combined for a total of 25 goal involvements, the highest of Arteta’s men last season. For him to make a goal contribution on Monday evening, Saka is priced over evens at 11/10.
🛑 Crystal Palace Defensive Stats: Ayew kidding me?
Only Wolves and Leeds committed more fouls per game than Palace last season, with The Eagles averaging 11.7 fouls committed. This stat lines up especially well considering Arsenal were drawing 12 fouls per match, creating the narrative for Palace fouls Monday evening.
The main matchup that catches our attention is that of Jordan Ayew defending against Martinelli. Ayew is scheduled to start on the right for Palace and can be expected to foul the pacey Brazilian winger on the break. To add the icing on the cake, Ayew committed 4 fouls when playing in the same position against Arsenal next year.
🛑 Arsenal Defensive Stats: Will Schlupp be able to replace Zaha?
One of Palace’s key players, Wilfried Zaha, departed the club on a free transfer to join Galatasaray. Zaha was feared by many full backs, including Arsenal’s Ben White, due to his tendency to win lots of fouls through his rapid pace and strong technical ability. Last season he won a total of eight fouls across the two games he played against Arsenal, forcing White to commit three fouls and pick up a booking.
Replacing Zaha on the left flank this season is Jeffrey Schlupp, and although he does not win as many fouls as Zaha, there is no reason to think he won’t cause issues for White. Schlupp suffered an average of 1.17 fouls last season in the Premier League, however when playing in the more advanced left wing position this statistic rises to over two fouls won per match.
Written by an Andy verified content writer
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