Unai Emery’s stock is soaring at Emirates following Arsenal’s performance over these last two months. The Gunners have won seven Premier League matches in a row after dropping their first two, and that has them right in the thick of things in the race to win the league. They are just two points back of league leaders Manchester City and Liverpool and poised to close the gap if one of those two teams stumble. They will look to keep things headed in the right direction against Crystal Palace this week.
Don't miss the English Premier League action from Selhurst Park in London at 9:30 a.m. ET on Sunday, October 28, 2018. Catch every moment of the match live on NBCSN.
EPL Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu
Arsenal -114
Crystal Palace +288
Draw +274
Over/Under 3
Odds Analysis
Crystal Palace are sitting in 15th place in the table, and the Eagles are on a three-match losing streak heading into their game with Arsenal. Those losses came at the hands of Bournemouth, Wolves, and Everton, and they scored just one goal combined in those three matches. Palace have had a lot of problems on the attack this season. They have the second-fewest goals of any team in the Premier League, with five through nine matches, and that has undercut some solid defensive efforts. They have picked up results in only three matches, and all three of those were against teams currently in the relegation zone.
The Gunners have had no problems on the offensive end. They have scored the second-most goals in the league (22), and only Manchester City has notched more goals. Arsenal have scored two or more goals in 11 straight matches in all competitions, and that offensive explosion has fueled the club’s resurgence. Last week, Mesut Ozil scored once and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang registered a brace in a 3-1 win over Leicester City.
Key Injuries
The Gunners continue to be without center backs Laurent Koscielny and Konstantinos. Everyone else could be available for this match though. Defenders Sokratis, Nacho Monreal, and Sead Kolasinac are all listed as questionable to play after extended absences, while Petr Cech is listed as probable and looks set to return for the first time in a month.
Defenders Joel Ward and Scott Dann will be sidelined for Palace, as well as forward Christian Benteke. The latter injury especially hurts, as Benteke is capable of creating the instant offense the Eagles desperately need. Midfielder Max Meyer and forward Alexander Sorloth have been limited by illness during practices in the middle of the week, but both are listed as probable.
Matchup to Watch
For Palace to get a result in this match, they are going to have to score at least one goal and hold on in their end. That means this attack has to get something going. Jordan Ayew has underperformed mightily this season, and he is one of the players that Palace fans are hoping gets going. He was on the bench for last week’s match against Everton, but he is likely to return here after Palace were shut out once more.
Ayew is likely to team up with Wilfried Zaha up top, and the duo will aim to crack through Arsenal’s back line. The Gunners have some issues at center back because of the injuries, and they could be exploited by a team with pace.
Prop Bet of the Game – Crystal Palace under 1.5 goals at -227
This is a lot of chalk to lay, but there is no reason to suspect that Crystal Palace will notch only their second multiple goal game in the Premier League against Arsenal on Sunday. The Gunners are going to be a little fatigued after playing on Monday night and traveling to Lisbon for a Europa League match on Thursday, but I don’t think the defense will collapse as a result.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
Because of the short rest for Arsenal, I’m not as confident in their chances as I normally would be against a team like Crystal Palace. I believe they will have enough to pick up the win, but it might not be pretty.
English Premier League Odds: Arsenal 2, Crystal Palace 1
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