Football
Crystal Palace vs Arsenal Preview: Tips, Odds, and Prediction Dec 21, 2024
The stage is set for a thrilling football showdown at Selhurst Park in London on Saturday, 21 December 2024. It’s Crystal Palace vs Arsenal. It’s English Premier League football, and we have all the stats, team form and history to get you excited for this match. Want to have a look at the best football bookmakers available for this game? Read our in-depth preview for everything you need to know about this fixture.x
Leandro Trossard and Jefferson Lerma//Getty Images
Crystal Palace head into this match against the Gunners languishing in 17th place on the English Premier League table with 13 points from 15 matches played which includes two wins, seven draws, and six defeats. Things could have been so different for Crystal Palace up to this point of the season if they just managed to edge out another few wins.
CRYSTAL PALACE VS ARSENAL MATCH DETAILS
Date: Saturday, 21 December, 2024
Kickoff Time: 19:30 local time (14:30 ET / 11:30 PT)
Location: Selhurst Park, London
Last meeting: Arsenal 5-0 Crystal Palace (Jan 20, 2024, Premier League)
Eddie Nketiah joined Crystal Palace from Arsenal at the end of August 2024 and his inside knowledge about the Gunners could be key in this match. The former Arsenal player will be fired up to prove a point and score the winning goal against his old team.
Meanwhile, as of the 11th of December 2024, the Gunners sit in third position on the 2024-2025 English Premier League table with 29 points from 15 matches played which includes eight wins, five draws and two losses.
Arsenal have won four matches in a row against Crystal Palace. The most recent game between these teams took place on the 20th of January 2024 and on that occasion, the Gunners hammered Crystal Palace 5-0.
PRE-GAME ODDS AND WIN PROBABILITY: ARSENAL CLEAR FAVOURITES
Home: 23/5 (5.60) - 17,9%
Draw: 31/10 (4.10) - 24,4%
Away: 59/100 (1.59) - 62,9%
*Odds courtesy of Betway, subject to change.
HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD
Last Five Meetings (Premier League)
20/01/24: Arsenal 5-0 Crystal Palace
21/08/23: Crystal Palace 0-1 Arsenal
19/03/23: Arsenal 4-1 Crystal Palace
05/08/22: Crystal Palace 0-2 Arsenal
04/04/22: Crystal Palace 3-0 Arsenal
CRYSTAL PALACE: CURRENT FORM - DWDDL
Crystal Palace are unbeaten in their last four games, however, in saying that, they have drawn three of those matches and have only won once in that run.
Crystal Palace showed their fighting spirit in a 2-2 draw against Manchester City on the 7th of December. Before Crystal Palace’s game against Manchester City, they beat Ipswich Town 1-0 away from home.
KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH
- Eddie Nketiah: The Crystal Palace forward has played over 120 English Premier League matches throughout his career, and he has scored over 15 goals in the Premier League. Eddie Nketiah will relish the opportunity of playing against his former team.
- Ismaila Sarr: The Senegalese forward has made over 60 appearances in the English Premier League throughout his career and he has scored over ten goals. Ismaila Sarr will be looking to put the ball in the back of the net and help his team secure a victory against Arsenal in this match.
- Eberechi Eze: The Crystal Palace midfielder has played over 120 English Premier League matches throughout his career, and he has scored over 25 goals. Eberechi Eze will look to combine with his team and make a massive impact against Arsenal.
CRYSTAL PALACE TEAM NEWS
Crystal Palace are expected to start their strongest team with the likes of Eberechi Eze and Ismaila Sarr set to run the show for Crystal Palace against the Gunners.
ARSENAL: CURRENT FORM - DWWWW
The Gunners are unbeaten in their last six matches in all competitions. This good run of form started with a 1-1 draw away to Chelsea on the 10th of November 2024. Mikel Arteta and co followed this performance with a 3-0 victory against Nottingham Forest.
Arsenal have also secured all three points on offer with victories against Sporting CP, West Ham United, and Manchester United. The Gunners dropped points in a 1-1 draw against Fulham on the 8th of December.
KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH
- Leandro Trossard: The Arsenal forward has been in good form throughout the 2024-2025 English Premier League. Leandro Trossard has played over 180 English Premier League matches throughout his career, and he has scored over 40 goals.
- Gabriel Martinelli: The Brazilian forward has an accurate and powerful shot, and he is a good link-up player who is a good goalscorer. Gabriel Martinelli is an experienced player. He has made over 140 appearances in the Premier League, and he has scored over 30 goals.
- William Saliba: The French defender is one of those players who gives his all for the jersey and empties the tank to leave nothing out on the field. William Saliba has good positional awareness. This team player has played over 70 matches in the Premier League, and he has scored over five goals.
ARSENAL TEAM NEWS
The Gunners are expected to start a strong team for this match against Crystal Palace. The likes of William Saliba and Leandro Trossard are expected to be in the team for this game.
PREDICTED LINE-UPS
CRYSTAL PALACE: 3-4-2-1
Henderson, Guehi, Munoz, Chalobah, Lacroix, Mitchell, Hughes, Lerma, Eze, Sarr, Mateta.
ARSENAL: 4-3-3
Raya, Saliba, Partey, Kiwior, Timber, Rice, Odegaard, Jorginho, Trossard, Havertz, Saka.
SUGGESTED BETS
If you are passionate about betting on the Premier League, here are some bets you can place at some of the popular sportsbooks.
Arsenal to Win With Clean Sheet: The Gunners have managed to beat these opponents and keep a clean sheet against Crystal Palace in their last two matches against them. (33/20 with Betway) (33/20 with BC.Game) (33/20 with BetWinner)
Over 2.5 Goals: Arsenal were on the money with over four goals against Crystal Palace the last time these two teams met. The Gunners have been in good goal-scoring form while Crystal Palace conceded two goals in their game against Manchester City. (4/5 with Betway) (83/100 with BC.Game) (21/25 with BetWinner)
Goal Number 1 Scored From a Header: Since the beginning of 2023-2024, Arsenal have scored over 20 goals from corners, more than any other Premier League team. A large number of these goals have been scored from a header. (11/2 with Betway) (11/2 with BC.Game) (11/2 with BetWinner)
VALUE BETS
Kai Havertz - Anytime Goalscorer: The Arsenal forward has adapted well to life at the Gunners. Kai Havertz is playing his best football with Arsenal under the playing style of Mikel Arteta.
Bukayo Saka - Anytime Goalscorer: The English international has been in good form. Bukayo Saka has also scored five goals throughout the 2024-2025 Premier League.
Jean-Philippe Mateta - Anytime Goalscorer: The Crystal Palace forward has scored four goals for his team throughout the 2024-2025 Premier League as of the 10th of December.
PREDICTION: ARSENAL TO WIN
Based on both teams' current form and the history between Arsenal and Crystal Palace, we believe that the Gunners will win this game. Crystal Palace might be able to trouble Arsenal in stages and play some good football during the game, but the Gunners will have too much power for them to handle throughout the match.
Josh has over ten years of experience as a Sports Writer. Josh has created content for some of the biggest sports brands and publications in South Africa. Josh is a creative writer who puts you in the game with his unique content. Josh writes about Soccer, Rugby, Cricket, Basketball, Darts, Golf, and all major sports.