Arsenal begins their 2022/23 Premier League season with a tricky trip to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace. The Eagles thumped the Gunners 3-0 in the previous meeting with Arsenal also humbled by Brentford on the opening day of last season.
Mikel Arteta’s men didn’t get what they deserved, Champions League football, finishing two points off the top four in fifth place last season. On the other hand, Crystal Palace finished 12th on the league chart just three points behind a top ten place.
CRY vs ARS Match Details
Date: Friday, 5th August 2022/ Saturday, 6th August 2022
Time: 20:00 (BST)/ 00:30 (IST)
Venue: Selhurst Park, London
CRY vs ARS Match Preview
Arsenal legend and now the manager of Crystal Palace, Patrick Vieira will be optimistic to face the Gunners for the season opener having gotten better of them three months back but warns Arsenal will be a ‘completely different’ opposition than the last time. He expects a challenging game after Mikel Arteta’s men reinforce themselves with key additions to the squad although Palace have the tools to make it an occasion for them. The 3-0 win in April showed the potential the team carried with an exciting brand of talent at their disposal and they have caused trouble to visitors to Selhurst Park making it their holy home ground last season. Vieira managed his side to the 12th spot in the Premier League collecting 11 wins, 15 draws and suffering 12 losses amounting to 48 points last season. Palace also reached the semifinals of the FA Cup to round off a productive season under the Frenchman’s first season at the club. Fans are expecting more of the same from Vieira in the upcoming campaign knowing the pressure will multiply. Their star midfielder Conor Gallagher has returned back to Chelsea on completion of his loan but signings of talent like Cheick Doucoure and Malcolm Ebiowei have filled the air of optimism for the new season. The constant purchase of these upcoming talents is sure to send Palace to greater heights in the time to come. The pre-season has been impressive with only two losses to show that too against big guns, Liverpool and Manchester United. Starting the season at Selhurst Park gives a boost of confidence as the Eagles are unbeaten in their last six home games. Remarkably, they have also kept clean sheets in each of the last five. With a hopeful mindset, Vieira demands his team to take a positive result in the season opener which is a tough start to the calendar considering the trip to Anfield next week and the champions also to face within this month.
A big season waits for Arsenal with a $130 million upgrade to the squad bringing loads of expectation on their shoulders. Missing out on the Champions League football stung badly last season but the Gunners are desperate to fulfil their desire this time around with some important signings to fill up the problem positions in the squad. None as massive as Gabriel Jesus who arrives from Manchester City to provide goals and glory to their attack. The inclusion of Oleksandr Zinchenko resolves the issues in midfield and the left-back for his versatility in both positions while the signings of Fabio Vieira, Marquinhos and Matt Turner give the required depth to the team wanting to balance a tough season involving European football as well as the World Cup. Settling for a place outside of the top four with all these high-volume signings could not be an agenda for Arsenal so the start of the season should be on a winning note. It is easier said than done as facing Crystal Palace with their sublime record at Selhurst Park is a difficult task knowing they were beaten heavily in the last visit. Although the team has strengthened, the possibility of missteps is there. The Gunners are annoyed to have let their arch rivals Tottenham leapfrogging them for the Champions League spot and insist on not repeating the mistake of last season proven by their excellent pre-season form. Mikel Arteta’s men collected wins in all of the matches, the notable ones being the 4-0 thumping of Chelsea and 6-0 thrashing of Sevilla in the latest match at Emirates. Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus was on fire in this period scoring twice in the unofficial debut against Nurnberg and also scoring a hattrick in the last game in front of the home support. He and the Gunners are now aiming to carry the momentum in the competitive season. It all begins by seeking revenge on Palace in their backyard.
Pre-season Form
CRY: LWDWW
ARS: WWWWW
CRY vs ARS Team News
Manager Patrick Vieira said midfielder James McArthur won’t be part of the squad to face Arsenal as he continues his recovery from a groin injury with defender James Tomkins (Calf) and winger Michael Olise (Foot) also not featuring in the season opener. Palace is slightly loose on the goalkeeper end with Sam Johnstone and Jack Butland both out with a quadriceps injury and broken hand respectively. Nevertheless, Vicente Guiata keeps his place as the number one in between the sticks. Talented midfielder Cheick Doucoure could be handed his debut after signing from Ligue 1 side Lens this summer
For Arsenal, Mikel Arteta said three out of four of Kieran Tierney, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Fabio Vieira and Emile Smith Rowe will be available for selection ahead of the opening game after their struggles through injuries. The last training session will determine that but it seems Smith Rowe is likely to miss out picking up a muscle injury last month. The manager won’t be risking any of them to start the game so Oleksandr Zinchenko is likely to start at left-back and Ben White shifting to the right-back spot allowing William Saliba to make his competitive debut for the Gunners after three years at the club.
CRY vs ARS Predicted Lineups
CRY: Vicente Guaita; Joel Ward, Joachim Andersen, Marc Guehi, Tyrick Mitchell; Jeffrey Schlupp, Cheick Doucoure, Eberechi Eze; Jordan Ayew, Odsonne Edouard, Wilfred Zaha
ARS: Aaron Ramsdale; Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Oleksandr Zinchenko; Granit Xhaka, Thomas Partey; Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli; Gabriel Jesus
CRY vs ARS Head to head
The 3-0 loss to Crystal palace at Selhurst Park was a hard pill to swallow for Arsenal as it came at a period when they were on the way to sealing a top-four berth. The loss became the start of the team going out of form at the end of last season. For Palace, it was another remarkable result watching Mateta, Jordan Ayew and Zaha from the spot getting on the scoresheet by dismantling their opposition clinically. Arsenal have also shared two wins with Palace in five games at this venue, not scoring for the second time in that period in this meeting.
CRY vs ARS Dream11 Team Prediction
GK: Ramsdale (8.5)
DEF: Guehi (9), Saliba (8.5), Magalhaes (9), Zinchenko (8.5)
MID: Saka (9.5), Eze (8.5), Odegaard (9), Zaha (9.5)
FW: Edouard (9), Jesus (9.5)
Captain: Gabriel Jesus
Vice-captain: Bukayo Saka
