Crystal Palace v Arsenal predictions: Gunners no certainties on opening night

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Crystal Palace v Arsenal in the Premier League on Friday.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Premier League & Main Event, 8pm Friday

Best bet

Crystal Palace draw no bet
1pt 12-5 Betfred

Team news

Crystal Palace
Jack Butland has been ruled out with a broken hand while fellow goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, James McArthur and Michael Olise are also unlikely to feature.

Arsenal
Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko should make their competitive debuts after joining from Manchester City but Emile Smith Rowe is a major doubt. Takehiro Tomiyasu, Kieran Tierney and new signing Fabio Vieira are back in training but may not be fit enough to start.

Match preview

Expectations are rising at Arsenal after a busy summer in the transfer market and some impressive pre-season results but there will be better odds-on shots during the 2022-23 Premier League campaign than the Gunners away to Crystal Palace.

For the second season running, Arsenal kick off the top-flight season with a Friday-night trip to another London club.

Last term, they were beaten 2-0 at promoted Brentford and, although Mikel Arteta has his side far better prepared for the new campaign this time around, he will be wary of a similar outcome at Selhurst Park.

Palace ended last term in miserly form at home, beating Manchester United 1-0 on the final day to stretch their run of clean sheets on their own patch to six matches.

That sequence included a 0-0 draw with champions Manchester City, a 4-0 FA Cup quarter-final rout of Everton, and a commanding 3-0 victory over Arsenal in early April.

Indeed, Palace boss Patrick Vieira was unfortunate not to have claimed a league double over the club he captained so brilliantly as a player.

Arsenal required a late equaliser from Alexandre Lacazette to pinch a 2-2 draw in October's home clash with the Eagles and Vieira should be confident of causing more problems for the top-four hopefuls.

The Gunners have undoubtedly strengthened since being pipped by Tottenham to the fourth Champions League spot late last term.

Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus are in line for debuts although Arsenal fans may have to wait a little longer to see the name Vieira back on the teamsheet as exciting young Portuguese midfielder Fabio Vieira is short of match fitness.

Jesus has been rattling in the goals in pre-season, scoring six times in wins over Nuremberg, Chelsea and Sevilla, but Palace have also enjoyed their prep games, easing to a 4-2 win over Ligue 1 Montpellier last time out.

A 12th-placed finish and an FA Cup semi-final represented a solid first season for Vieira in south-east London and, while influential loanee Conor Gallagher has returned to Chelsea, Palace still have the players to ruffle Arsenal.

Wilfried Zaha had the most productive season of his career, scoring 14 league goals, and Palace's wide players may well enjoy a crack at Arsenal, who have fitness doubts over first-choice full-backs Kieran Tierney and Takehiro Tomiyasu.

The costly end-of-season defeats at Tottenham and Newcastle meant Arteta's side finished with nine losses in 19 away league games in 2021-22 and that stat is another reason for punters to oppose the visitors.

Arsenal's optimism may prove well-founded over the course of the 2022-23 season, particularly given the progressive profile of their young squad, but an opening-night trip to Palace is far from straightforward.

Key stat

Crystal Palace have kept clean sheets in their last six competitive home matches.

Inside info

Crystal Palace

Penalty taker Wilfried Zaha
Assist ace Jordan Ayew
Set-piece aerial threat Christian Benteke
Card magnet Joel Ward

Arsenal

Penalty taker Bukayo Saka
Assist ace Bukayo Saka
Set-piece aerial threat Gabriel Magalhaes
Card magnet Granit Xhaka

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