The Premier League circus continues on Monday as Crystal Palace welcomes Arsenal.
Both clubs are having great seasons and are exceeding expectations so far. There’s also the added interest of Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira facing Arsenal, the club in which he forged his name as one of the best midfielders in Premier League history.
Can he take three points off his former club? Don’t miss our Crystal Palace vs. Arsenal tips and predictions.
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Crystal Palace vs Arsenal match odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
Compare EPL odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
Crystal Palace vs Arsenal betting tips
- Prediction: Crystal Palace (+300)
- Prediction: Over 2.5 goals (+115)
- Best bet: Crystal Palace – Draw No Bet (+194)
Predictions made on 4/02/2022 at 4:00 p.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Crystal Palace vs Arsenal game info
• Location: Selhurst Park, London, England
• Date: Monday, April 4, 2022
• Time: 3:00 p.m. ET
• TV: DAZN, Hulu, Peacock Premium
Crystal Palace vs Arsenal betting preview
Weather
Rain is expected on Monday in London when these two clubs clash but by the time of kickoff, the precipitation should be no more.
Injuries
Crystal Palace: Wilfried Zaha F (Questionable), Nathan Ferguson D (Questionable), Michael Olise M (Questionable).
Arsenal: Aaron Ramsdale G (Questionable), Takehiro Tomiyasu D (Questionable), Bukayo Saka M (Questionable), Gabriel Martinelli F (Questionable).
Crystal Palace vs Arsenal predictions
Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.
Side analysis
You can’t beat a Premier League game under the lights and Monday gives us a game with huge potential for excitement. This isn’t a fixture you’d have picked out at the start of the season as a potentially great game but with both Crystal Palace and Arsenal overperforming expectations in the Premier League, it’s become one.
Crystal Palace and Arsenal don’t have the biggest of rivalries but when two London clubs meet there is always an edge to the game. Just 12 miles separate the two clubs but that isn’t the overwhelming narrative of this game, as that belongs to Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira.
Vieira played 279 games for Arsenal in a nine-year career which established him as one of the best midfielders of his generation. He was an icon in North London, winning three Premier League titles and four FA Cup trophies with the club. During his spell at Arsenal, he also added a World Cup and European Championship with his nation France and is regarded as one of the best to ever play on English shores.
Vieira is sure to get a loud reception from the traveling Arsenal fans, just as he did when the clubs played out a 2-2 draw at the Emirates earlier in the season. When he took over at Crystal Palace there were huge question marks over the hire.
After his time managing New York City FC and Nice, neither to great acclaim, it seemed like this job would be too much for him and was potentially down to his abilities as a player rather than what he could offer from the dugout.
I thought Vieira's signing would signal the end of Crystal Palace’s time in the Premier League and I’ve been proved very wrong since the season began in August. Rather than be in a relegation fight, the club entered the weekend sitting 12th in the Premier League and in an FA Cup semi-final.
The improvement at Palace has been of huge credit to Vieira, but it’s also thanks to the cast of exciting young talent that he’s managed to bring in too. Marc Guehi and Conor Gallagher arrived from Chelsea and both have performed so well that they’ve become England internationals this season.
Young fullback Tyrick Mitchell also got his first appearance for England in the most recent international break and Michael Olise is another player linked with a future at the international level. Palace lines up in a 4-3-3 formation and uses pace and guile on the flanks to create opportunities which their attacking talent and Gallagher convert on.
Arsenal are no mugs either, and Mikel Arteta survived in the job long enough for the boo boys to change their views on his management and are now applauding his work. He's another manager who is utilizing exceptionally gifted young talent, most notably Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith-Rowe, Martin Odegaard, and Gabriel Martinelli, and have created a dynamic attacking team with an improved backline behind them.
The Gunners are now in pole position to qualify for a Champions League spot this year and will be confident finishing the season on a high. To do so, they’ll need to navigate games like this and although they’re favorites with the bookies, this is a very tough ask.
Wilfried Zaha and Michael Olise will be big misses for Palace if they do indeed miss this match, although it’s worth noting that Patrick Vieira hasn’t been ruled out either. Despite that, the Palace team has enough talent to cause Arsenal problems and I’d actually lean toward backing Palace over the Gunners.
The last time these two teams met in North London, the match ended with a 2-2 draw and Palace have only improved since then. They last lost a game in mid-February (to Chelsea no less).
In that time they’ve beat nearly everyone in front of them, only drawing against a defensive Burnley and Man City, arguably the best team on the planet. They’re a seriously talented team and buoyed with confidence, and odds of +300 are very high for a team who have the potential to cause Arsenal serious problems.
Prediction: Crystal Palace (+300 at FanDuel)
Over/Under analysis
I don’t really have a strong opinion on the total goals market for this match, but I’m leaning towards the Over.
The last meeting between these two sides saw four goals being scored while the teams tied. Breaking down the data also points towards this being a high-scoring game. 53.5% of Crystal Palace’s home games have seen Over 2.5 games, and likewise, we have seen 53.8% of Arsenal’s road games hit that total too.
If we look further back at the last 10 matches between the two clubs, eight of them have finished with Over 2.5 goals.
Prediction: Over 2.5 goals (+115 at DraftKings)
Best bet
So far I’ve argued as to why Palace are a great price to win. If you’re feeling a little more conservative, then I’d recommend the Draw No Bet market which lists Crystal Palace at +194.
Put simply, if the game finishes as a tie, it’s a push and you’ll get your stake back. I think that’s arguably a slightly smarter way to bet this game.
We know how the teams will line up, it’ll be Vieira’s 4-3-3 against Arteta’s 4-2-3-1. I’m of the belief that this Crystal Palace team, especially if either Olise or Zaha are involved, are built well to cause Arsenal problems.
The Palace defense, anchored by England's new boy Guehi and Denmark international Joachim Anderson are both capable of limiting Arsenal’s threat in dangerous positions.
I’m happy to back Palace at just Under +200 value, knowing that if it finishes as a tie I won't lose any money. A draw certainly isn’t out of the question and I like being able to have insurance against that.
Pick: Crystal Palace – Draw No Bet (+194 at FanDuel)
