On Monday evening we resume our league programme after the interlull and begin the run-in to the end of the season. It is a crucial period which could end in our regaining a place in the Champions League or at its worst may consign us to a place in the Europa Conference League. If we finish lower than that we will have experienced a major meltdown.
We are well-placed, already in fourth place with games in hand on our main rivals Tottnumb and ManUre with WetSpam below them and preoccupied by a place in the last eight of the Europa League. We have to play all of these sides in the run-in, two of them away and there is no cause for any complacency if we are to finish the season well. Our last result was a very encouraging and deserved win at Aston Villa where our defensive performance and general control of the match in a tense atmosphere was very reassuring. Palace’s recent form has shown a very definite uptick with comfortable wins against Watford and Wolves away and a very impressive 0-0 draw at home to Citeh, the team from the blue half of Manchester. Their last defeat saw them succumb to a last minute goal from Ziyech of Chelski. This indicates how tough they currently are to beat.
Crystal Palace come into the game on Monday in disturbingly good heart. Their last game saw them trounce Everton 4-0 in the sixth round of the FA Cup and a Semi-Final at Wembley against the Chavs awaits. I have several friends who are Palace fans and this forthcoming semi is very much their preoccupation. One mate was giving me fearful stick at the start of the season and I had to remind him that his club have never won a major trophy unless you count the Zenith Data Systems Cup over thirty years ago. They’ve never played in Europe although they’ve come close to winning the FA Cup on two occasions, both of which saw them matched with the team from the red half of Manchester and Truro, Ipswich, Bridgewater and Shoreham.
This is a fixture I have attended regularly for years. The first match report of the new GHF website, was if you remember, an account of our 1-1 draw in January 2020, where Aubameyang scored early and then was sent off in the second half. A deflected Ayew shot tied the game up but we defended manfully to secure a point. I referred to the game as ‘Life through an Arsenal letterbox’ because the view from the Arthur Wait stand is restricted (severely) and any balls going high into the air disappear from view. Visiting Selhurst Park is like entering a time warp which takes you back to the seventies. The ground is primitive and desperately in need of upgrading, there are still majorettes (remember them?) welcoming teams onto the field, which Palace enter to the strains of ‘Glad All Over’ while an eagle flies around the pitch. The crowd are noisy, enthusiastic and the place tends to jump when Palace do well. It can be a tough place to visit.
A lot of pre-game publicity suggests Selhurst is an unlucky venue for Arsenal. I saw us lose 3-0 in 2017, but that was our only defeat there since November 1979 and those two defeats are the only two we have suffered there. We’ve lost more at home to them most painfully the 3-2 defeat which cost us Champions League qualification under Unai Emery when Mustafi produced one of his most catastrophic performances. In recent seasons no game at the Palace has ever been as easy as the 5-1 victory on our first league visit in 1969, when it was very hard to contain my excitement surrounded by Palace fans! We did win 3-1 last season with late goals from Martinelli and Pepe clinching victory. Zaha is a perennial thorn in our side as is Benteke and in the home match this season we snatched a late draw in the infamous match where Mike Dean failed to punish a blatant kick on Saka by McArthur with a red card.
Embed from Getty ImagesPalace are of course managed by a true Arsenal legend in Patrick Vieira. My Palace friends wish Arteta every success because they love the style of football played by Palace nowadays after the sterile fare served up by Woy Hodgson’s teams and don’t want him to replace Arteta at Arsenal. Exciting players like Conor Gallagher, Olise, Eze and Zaha flourish in the new environment, Guehi and Anderson together with new England cap Tyrick Mitchell form a stern defensive barrier as Citeh found and Mateta, a January signing is proving a more consistent scorer as a forward option than Benteke. There are suggestions that Zaha, who missed the Ivory Coast match against England with a hamstring strain may not be risked and Olise who is apparently interesting Arsenal, is a doubt too. Given the significance of the semi-final and the fact that Palace are twelfth in the table with 34 points it is unlikely they will take too many chances with injured players. But Patrick will not regard a match against Arsenal as anything other than a fixture to be won and it will be a very hard game.
At a distance it is not clear if the interlull produced much in the way of injuries. Ramsdale is apparently 50-50 to return, Saka has had Covid but is apparently recovered and ESR is being managed carefully after injury but did figure from the bench for England. Many of our team have been playing far away from home so a Monday fixture may be a blessing in disguise allowing more recovery time. Tomayisu may return but might start from the bench.
I’d anticipate a team like this:
Leno
Cedric White Gabriel Tierney
Partey Xhaka
Saka Odegaard Martinelli
Lacazette
Subs – Okonkwo , Tomayisu , Holding Elneny , Lokonga , Nketiah , ESR
Our form away from home has been extremely encouraging and a major contributory factor to our healthy position in the table . We have won our last five away matches and if we make it six on Monday that will be a hugely positive step forwards. I expect both United and S***s to win their home matches so the pressure is on
The Holic pound
Arsenal are a skinny 10/11 to win on Paddy Power but a better bet is the 15/2 available for a 2-0 or 2-1 win to Arsenal. As Palace always seem to score against us I’m going for a 2-1 win for the good guys from North London. But a nervy evening awaits!
I shan’t see the game live as I have a committee meeting on Monday night but will record it for later consumption. I hope all Holics have a splendid evening and that we can take another bold step towards the Chsmpions League.
Cheeky first.
I’m busy all day and haven’t read the post, but I just popped in and couldn’t resist the glory!
Thanks TTG, excellent preview !
Nothing to disagree with at all. From now til the end of the season it is all about results. Performances are great but the team has done brilliantly to get into this position and we just have to win, any old how, to stay there.
2-1 would be just great 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻
GSD – thief !
Chelsea spanked 4-1 at home against the Bees, despite going one nil up! Definitely squeaky bum time now!
Nice preview TTG. Palace fans always amongst the loudest visiting the Emirates. Quite nervous about this one.
Thanks TTG, excellent preview.
I hope Tomi will be back.
ManUre drawn with Lesta.
COYG
If I were going to drop three points to Brentford I believe it would be better to do it away in August rather than at home in April. Just sayin’
An excellent preview TTG. You capture the knife-edge nature of this match very well. I fear that this is likely to be a draw unless Laca takes his form from the match against the Brentford B team into this game. So I would bite your hand off for a 2-1 to the good guys.
On the other hand as two big matches have fallen our way so far this weekend (Come on you Spudz – make it a jolly hat trick!), a win at Palace would be another big step towatds our target and further evidence that this team means business.
COYG
Thanks for the preview TTG, it’s a massive occasion and we need the points. COYG from a freeway winding through the high Southern California desert.
Thanks TTG, a fine preview as always. Palace have been playing well as you say but time for the wheels to come off – 3-0 to The Arsenal.
I’ll have whatever Matt’s been on. 3-0 sure would be nice but we would have to keep a clean sheet and score three goals. 🤔
Patrick has turned Palace into an impressive unit of bruisers who can move. Thomas will have a lot to do in midfield.
Just watched some highlights from yesterday – Brentford humiliating Chelski was funny but Leicester getting a point was more useful. Two strange VAR decisions – not a penalty for Liverpoo and not a disallowed goal for Leicester. Neither was an obvious error I thought – to be fair, while VAR is still nowhere near good it has been slightly better than last season when it was just poor.
Cherry blossom viewing party today bt8,
so I”ll be on champagne, wine and sake 🙂
3 different drinks to match our three different
goalscorers
Nice preview.
Bring on the time warp – majorettes, glad all over and a flying eagle (steve miller anyone?) sits well with me.
I’m glad that Paddy is travelling well at Palace but his collective managerial experience is still a little underwhelming and Palace fans should net yet worry about any sudden departure.
I’m thinking a classic 1-0 to the Arsenal.
UTA.
Grear work, TTG. Going to be a tough match, I’ll take that 2-1.
After much deliberation in the hot hot desert sun I have decided the same as Noosa. 1-0 to the Arsenal. That’s yer ticket.
Clear-eyed preview, TTG. It will be a hard-fought game, as you say. Like Ollie, I will take 2-1 in a heartbeat. Trev is on the money when he says that at this point it is all about getting the three points.
Wanna know what’s typical? I’ll tell ya.
The BBC announced Garth Crooks’ Team of the Week already, and …
ARSENAL HAVE NOT EVEN PLAYED YET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bias is bad enough on its own, but when you pay someone to carry out your bias for you it’s not just bias it’s a conspiracy. Not good!
Informative and pragmatic preview as always TTG!
If we can reproduce our recent away performances — both defensively and in attack — I think we should be able to continue our winning streak. Obviously. 😂
I guess your team is the likeliest, but if Tomi has fully recovered then he should be able to come back to the starting eleven.
Enjoy the match everyone!
What would be nice is to start the game at pace and be 3 nil up after 20 mins and 4 nil up at half time and then cruise for the second half. Maybe bring Tommy on for a run around in the last 20.
I’m going Palace 0 – 4 Arsenal.
That will shut those Spurs half wits up for 6 days.
bt8 @17
The only desert I like is one with an extra s in the middle – why torture yourself?
UTA.
Many thanks TTG for a fine preview.
Apart from the already mentioned 5-1 win many moons ago, we have found it a tough gig at Selhurst Park , each good result has had to be ground out. Although Palace are in a run of decent form so are we. I’m therefore hoping for the favoured 2-1 to the good guys, though of course any winning scoreline will do very nicely thank you.
I hope Tomy is now fit enough to start – he gives our defence that extra bit of oomph which will be necessary over the coming fixtures.
COYR
Sorry Trev. Totally undeserved. But the history books won’t mention that! 🤣
Excellent preview TTG. Consumately done.
It seems like ages since we played. I’ll also be watching on record due to an unavoidable Zoom meeting, so I’ll see you all in here afterwards.
I’m going for 2-0 but 1-1 wouldn’t surprise me.
UTA
Cheers TTG!
ttg, nice preview. let’s hope it goes to historical form and we get the w, by hook or crook (aka VAR).
Spr*z away confirmed as on Thursday May 12. Newcastle game goes to Monday night the 16th.
No KT or Pepe
Kieran Tierney (knee) and Nico Pepe (illness) miss out on today’s matchday squad.
Crystal Palace: Guaita, Clyne, Guehi, Andersen, Mitchell, Kouyate, Schlupp, Gallagher, Ayew, Mateta, Zaha
Subs: Butland, Ward, Tomkins, Milovojevic, McArthur, Hughes, Eze, Edouard, Benteke
There’s no Kieran Tierney in the Arsenal team because of a knee injury.
“He came back from international duty and felt something wrong in his knee,” Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta told Sky Sports.
“There is some damage there. We will hopefully know more on Tuesday but not looking good.”
Pretty fucking dreadful so far
If we can regroup and pull 1 back before HT there will be some hope, otherwise a draw looks tough
I had a bad feeling before this one, fucking hell
Afraid I cant see anything more than a painful defeat here. Tavares is a shadow of the player he looked earlier in the season. Gabriel and Partey both awful so far.
Not surprised Tavares went off, he was lucky to see out the half. But you could have said that about all the outfield players.
We cannot put two passes together, everything is misplaced, mistimed
One of them days.
Guess the award jinxed Arteta
Best passage of play, should have done better, both ESR and Mø
Definite reality check. Its a really thin looking squad right now.
>>>>>>>