Crystal Palace to Win
Both Teams To Score
Under 10.5 Corners
Under 3.5 Cards
*A Bet Builder with these selections pays at approximately 29/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD IT TO YOUR BETSLIP.
Friday 8pm: Crystal Palace v Arsenal
TV: Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Showcase
Crystal Palace to win
At face value, Mikel Arteta’s side have had an excellent summer. They have signed Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko from Manchester City as well as Fabio Vieira, who got 14 assists in Portugal last season. Apart from a behind closed doors defeat to Brentford with a weakened side, the Gunners have won every friendly they’ve played too.
Until we see them in competitive action, though, it’s hard to know how much better they’ll be this season. Jesus had a spectacularly bad record for converting chances with City – scoring 18 league goals fewer than his chances expected – while Vieira is only just 22 and untested in a big European league. What makes things more intriguing here is that the underlying statistics claim Palace were better than you think last season. They might have finished 12th in the Premier League but their performances were worthy of a top six spot.
The end of Conor Gallagher’s loan spell from Chelsea is undoubtedly a loss. There’s no reason to think Palace’s performances will fall off a cliff though. Wilfried Zaha has five goals in three pre-season games and Odsonne Edouard bagged a brace in their recent 4-2 victory over Montpellier.
The freedom with which Arsenal have played this summer, they look in great nick. There’s every chance they’ll win at a canter, as Paddy expects. But at Selhurst, under the lights, Palace are too long a price to turn down. It’s 30 years since they last had a longer unbeaten run at home in the top flight, and we only need Arsenal to be their usual selves to make this Crystal Palace to Win tip your value bet of the weekend.
Both Teams to Score
Speaking after their last friendly win, Palace boss Patrick Vieira was clear his side have work to do defensively. “There is no doubt about the quality of our front players… [but] how can we defend better as a team? On that side we have to do better,” he said.
Although Palace won 3-0 last year, this is a fixture which tends to see both teams find the net. Neither side finished with nil in the four meetings in south London prior to that instance.
This goes against the grain of the team’s records in general. No club in the Premier League played fewer away games where both teams scored than Arsenal last season, while Palace were mid-table in the home equivalent. As the two teams have had a fruitful attacking summer combined with question marks over their defences, let’s say ‘yes’ in the Both Teams to Score market.
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Under 10.5 Corners
Only the top two teams in the Premier League scored more set piece goals than Arsenal last season. Yet there were not actually that many corners in their games. The corresponding fixture was a glorious example of that, as there were just two, the joint-fewest seen in any of the 380 top flight matches in 2021/22.
Plus, only St James’ Park saw fewer corners than Selhurst Park and Palace had the fewest home matches pay out on over 10.5 corners. We must take the Under 10.5 Corners option here.
Under 3.5 Cards
Crystal Palace and Arsenal have a fairly healthy relationship. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang may have been sent off in this fixture in January 2020, but the last six meetings have only averaged 2.8 cards, with exactly two bookings in four of them.
Referee Anthony Taylor has a slightly higher card rate in the Premier League (3.4 per game) but history suggests we should select Under 3.5 Cards here. If Granit Xhaka spoils our Bet Builder, take it up with him, not me.
Palace v Arsenal Bet Builder tips
Crystal Palace to Win
Both Teams To Score
Under 10.5 Corners
Under 3.5 Cards
*A Bet Builder with these selections pays at approximately 29/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD IT TO YOUR BETSLIP.
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*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change