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Arsenal will be looking to regain fourth place when they take on Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park tonight.
The Gunners have occupied that all-important fourth position in recent weeks but now sit behind Tottenham on goal difference after their north London rivals thrashed Newcastle United 5-1 on Sunday afternoon.
It’s still in Arsenal’s hands though as they hold two games in hand over their nearest rivals and can climb back above Spurs with a positive result against Palace this evening.
However, it won’t be easy as Patrick Vieira will be desperate to get one over his former club as he looks to maintain a solid first season at Selhurst Park. Palace are currently 12th in the table but can move up to 9th with a win tonight.
Team news
Arsenal will assess the fitness of Aaron Ramsdale after he missed their 1-0 win at Aston Villa before the international break due to a hip injury that he sustained against Liverpool three days earlier.
The England international returned to full training over the weekend so it looks like he should be fit to return in goal this evening. Bernd Leno will make way if Ramsdale is passed fit.
Gabriel Martinelli is also set to return after recovering from illness which kept him out of the Villa game. Takehiro Tomiyasu could also be back in the Arsenal squad after recovering from a niggling calf injury but he might not be risked from the start.
Bukayo Saka is available for selection after overcoming covid – which forced him to withdraw from the England squad during the international break.
As for Palace, they could be without Wilfried Zaha as he’s struggling with a thigh injury while Michael Olise is also a doubt with a foot problem.
However, Nathan Ferguson and James McArthur are both expected to be in contention after training over the weekend.
How to watch/stream
Crystal Palace versus Arsenal will be broadcast live on Sky Sports, kicking off at 8pm tonight. Subscribers can watch the match live on Sky Sports on their TV or via the Sky Go app on their laptop, tablet or mobile device.
Those who don’t have a subscription may have to wait to watch official highlights after the game. However, some fans could choose to watch the match live on a dodgy stream that can be found online shortly before kick-off. There are always streams being posted on social media so they are easy to find – although obviously we cannot condone such a thing!
Expected line-ups
Palace: Guaita; Clyne, Andersen, Guehi, Mitchell; Gallagher, Kouyate, Hughes; Eze, Mateta, Edouard
Arsenal: Ramsdale; Cedric, White, Gabriel, Tierney; Xhaka, Partey; Saka, Odegaard, Martinelli; Lacazette
Predicted score
Crystal Palace 1-2 Arsenal: The Eagles almost went away with a shock 2-1 win at the Emirates Stadium in the reverse fixture earlier in the season. Arsenal needed a late Alexandre Lacazette goal to salvage a point and that performance will give Vieira hope of securing another positive result tonight.
However, Arsenal are in great shape right now and Arteta has them playing some great football, while they’re also far more solid in defence. I do think Palace will give a good account of themselves but am backing the Gunners to edge it.
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