Arsenal must ignore all that and extend a three-match winning run in the league if they’re to qualify for Europe.
Crystal Palace
Sunday’s 3-2 victory over Aston Villa means Crystal Palace can still hit 50 points for the first time ever in the Premier League. They twice came from behind against Villa, and in three of their last five matches, the side scoring first failed to win. A staple of their recent Premier League matches has been early goals, with an average of 1.17 being scored before the 20th minute across their last six. However, they’ve not scored before the 30th minute in any of their previous eight home league fixtures, whilst their weekend win saw them net 3 goals here for the first time since November 7. Furthermore, their latest three home victories came via a one-goal margin, highlighting the tight up and down nature of the ‘Eagles’ home form this term.
With fans returning to Selhurst Park, they’ve one last chance to get behind manager Roy Hodgson, who will step down at the end of the season. Hodgson ends his coaching career at the club he supported as a boy. Coincidentally, he took on his first managerial role in England in the same season (1981/82) that opposite number here, Mikel Arteta, was born!
Arsenal
Arsenal must ignore all that and extend a three-match winning run in the league if they’re to qualify for Europe. Those victories all came after they led 1-0 at the 30-minute mark, but a repeat is anything but guaranteed as they haven’t won in five competitive H2Hs; the last three were all draws in which they failed to score any goal after HT. However, that point could prove academic if the ‘Gunners’ can remain defensively solid, as they’ve averaged 2.17 goals per game across an unbeaten run stretching six league away games and have impressively won three consecutive league trips ‘to nil’ for the first time since May 2013.
With 11 Premier League goals this term, this has been Wilfried Zaha’s most prolific top-flight campaign for Palace – he’s netted the opener in three of his last four goalscoring outings. Similarly, Emile Smith Rowe scored first inside 30 minutes in each of Arsenal’s last two Premier League fixtures.
Arsenal have conceded just two Premier League away goals after HT all season – a league-low.