Arsenal vs Crystal Palace

TEAM NEWS

Arsenal will be without Mathieu Flamini for Sunday's visit of Crystal Palace as the midfielder starts a three-match ban.
Tomas Rosicky is available following surgery on a broken nose, but Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere are still out.
Goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey goes straight into Crystal Palace's squad for Sunday after signing from Wolves.
Jonny Parr remains a doubt with concussion, while Jerome Thomas and Kagisho Dikgacoi are still injured.
MATCH PREVIEW

For Arsenal, the next three weeks will be a huge test of the character in which Arsene Wenger has such faith. The manager's immediate priority must be to ensure that his players' focus is firmly on Palace and not on the tests against Manchester United, Liverpool (twice) and Bayern Munich to come in the space of 17 hectic days.
Arsenal would love to address the first of those challenges (Liverpool away) from a position on top of the Premier League, but to do that they must beat Palace and then wait on the outcome of Monday's Manchester City versus Chelsea clash.
Palace may be relegation threatened but they are certainly no mugs. Tony Pulis has instilled some of his trademark organisation on a squad which looked to be out of its depth when he took over in November.
LAWRO'S PREDICTION
Image of Mark Lawrenson
Mark Lawrenson
Football analyst
"Crystal Palace boss Tony Pulis knows how to make his teams tough to break down but I cannot see Palace stopping Arsenal on Sunday. There is a big gap in quality between the two sides."

Read Lawro's full prediction and score
Pulis has more or less halved the rate at which Palace were conceding goals and they taken 16 points from 11 games with him at the helm.
As a result the Eagles are now 14th; you have to go back to Christmas 1997 for the last time they were higher placed than that in the top flight.
Despite the sharp improvement it's still tough to imagine Crystal Palace getting much from their first ever trip to the Emirates Stadium. Their best work is done at Selhurst and Arsenal haven't even conceded a goal on home territory in more than seven and a half hours of football.
Imagine how much discarded Gunner Marouane Chamakh would love to end that run. Even Arsenal fans may find it hard to recall that the Moroccan scored in five of his first six home games for the club and 10 goals in his first 21 appearances in all.
Chamakh's problem was the meagre four goals he managed in his next 46 games before Arsene Wenger had had enough.
MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head
Arsenal are looking to complete a first league double over the Eagles since the inaugural Premier League season of 1992-93.
Palace's only league win in 14 trips to Arsenal (D6, L7) came 20 years ago, John Salako scoring twice in a 2-1 victory in October 1994.
Arsenal
Arsenal are unbeaten in their last 10 games in all competitions at the Emirates, including seven in the Premier League. The last side to beat them were Chelsea in the League Cup at the end of October.
Arsene Wenger's side have not conceded a goal at the Emirates in 456 minutes in all competitions since Gerard Deulofeu's equaliser for Everton in a 1-1 draw on 8 December.
The six league goals conceded by Arsenal at home this season is the lowest in the Premier League. Half of that tally came in the Gunners' 3-1 opening day defeat by Aston Villa.
No player has scored the first goal of a Premier League match on more occasions this season than Olivier Giroud (six).
The Gunners have failed to score a first-half goal in six of their last seven league matches. Their 2-1 win at Aston Villa was the exception.
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace have taken 16 points from a possible 33 since Tony Pulis took charge at the end of November (W5, D1, L5).
Palace have lost four of their last five away matches, and not scored in three of them. Their sole victory during this period came at Aston Villa on Boxing Day.
Crystal Palace have scored just five away goals in this season's Premier League, fewer than any other team.
The Eagles have failed to score in 11 league games, and scored more than once on only two occasions this campaign.
Jason Puncheon has scored the last three goals for the Eagles.

A bit strange Wenger signing a 31 year old, but not very shocked with signing a slightly injured player instead of Draxler who himself is out for a couple months. vital not to let City get too far ahead. 4-1 to Arsenal !

Not too sure against a Pulis side but pretty much confident we'll win tomorrow.
Szczesny
Sagna Mertesacker Koscielny Monreal
Rosicky Arteta Ozil
Gnabry Giroud Cazorla
That's what Wenger will do. I'd love to see Podolski though. Maybe drop Gnabry, play Santi on the right and Poldi on the left.

yeah, would love to see poldi for this game

Have to begrudgingly hand it to Pulis, he has Palace playing some very Pulis -style football, they might even not get relegated. He knows exactly how to play us too.
I'm a little worried because it seems lately we've been reverting to a lot of the pointless tippy tappy around the 18 yd box that results in the other team having time to get 11 men behind the ball- and then we have little room to shoot.
I hope we try to play on the break , spread the field out a bit, take lots of shots and our quality wins out.

An aside- just saw two "Chamakh" Moroccan national team jerseys in the local charity shop for really cheap. Nice shirts too, one green , one white.
Dissatisfied Moroccan? Chamakh-hating Gooner who unloaded them when he signed for Palace? Who knows....

speaking of chamakh wouldnt find it suprising to see him on the scoresheet. ex-arsenal players have a knack for scoring against us.
a win and draw at draw at stamford bridge would make a perfect week

Predicted starting XI:

Szcz
Sagna Per Kos Monreal
Arteta Rosicky
Gnabry Ozil Cazorla
Giroud

Would love to see Poldi start myself, but with no 'proper' defensive midfielder available right now, starting him may alter the team balance a bit. Hence I'll go with Gnabry for this game. As has been said Pulis has had his success against us in the past, but given we are at home and this team has more steel than teams of previous years, I'm fairly comfortable. COYG !

link if anybody needs one...its not brill but best i can find

http://atdhe.sx/soccer/watch-arsenal-crystal-palace-57bac#

need worse way a draw here today....

20 mins down and not much happening!!

i see pulis has set palace with a back 6 as usual against us...

sagna having a good game holding those attacks down the line..getting forward well...

we could do with ozil grabbing this game by the nuts.....start driving runs through the middle lil caz supporting him...

80% possession so far from us no end product...typical against a pulis side..

soooooooo close!!!! great save

OOOO! So close!

need a breakthrough before half time.....!!!!!!

too many passes going on...need runs in those channels!!!!

not too bad a half...

Not much happening. Game's alright, Carorla looks a bit erratic. Palace are just rigid.
Overall, just frustrating. The winger's look to be coming in too deep to get the ball. It may help if they stayed a bit forward.

Palace are literally useless down their flanks. Expect Arteta to stay close to Per and Kos for the counter and Sanga and Monreal to spend the entire 2nd half virtually in the Palace half. Need a moment of team/indivisual magic here.

need the ox getting down the wings at them use his pace....need a man or two to be able to hit a couple of shots...

GET THE FUCK IN!!!!!!!!!!!

just as i said run into those channels!!!!

WHAT A SAVE..COME ON ARSENAL DONT LET THESE BACK INTO IT!!!!

COME ON ARSENAL THATS BETTER!!!!