Crystal Palace welcome Arsenal to Selhurst Park in the first match of the Premier League season on Friday, with the Gunners focused on avoiding successive defeats on opening night.
Crystal Palace had their way with Arsenal in the same fixture last season, beating Mikel Arteta’s men 3-0 in what turned out to be a crushing blow on the Gunners’ Champions League aspirations.
Arsenal, however, enjoyed a solid summer transfer period and significantly bolstered their squad in advance of another run at a Top-4 spot, which we break down in our EPL betting picks below.
Crystal Palace vs Arsenal match odds
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Crystal Palace vs Arsenal betting tips
Predictions made on 8/3/2022 at 7:00 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: Friday, August 5, 2022
• Time: 3:00 p.m. ET
• TV: USA Network, DAZN
Crystal Palace vs Arsenal betting preview
Weather
Showers during the day should clear up prior to kickoff, though a 15% chance of rain is expected throughout the contest. Temperatures hovering around 75 degrees Fahrenheit will make for a pleasant evening of football in south London.
Injuries
Crystal Palace: Jack Butland GK (Out), James McArthur M (Out), Sam Johnstone GK (Out), Michael Olise (Doubtful).
Arsenal: Takehiro Tomiyasu D (Doubtful), Fabio Vieira M (Doubtful), Emile Smith Rowe M (Doubtful), Kieran Tierney (Doubtful).
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
Arteta acutely understood the need to improve his side in the lead-up to the 2022-23 campaign. He reinforced each area of the pitch, bringing in Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko from Manchester City, Marquinhos from Sao Paulo, Matt Turner from New England Revolution, Fabio Vieira from FC Porto and Auston Trusty from Colorado Rapids.
The high-profile signing of Jesus should add about 15 goals to Arsenal’s offensive output. The 25-year-old scored 95 goals in 236 appearances with City and is the type of natural poacher Arsenal has missed since getting rid of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Zinchenko is an outstanding addition on the left side of defense. He can play in the middle or on the left side and has a superb left boot. He’s confident going forward and will provide the Gunners with a reliable, sturdy defensive option.
The Gunners signed Vieira for about $40 million. The former Porto attacking midfielder will also improve Arsenal’s overall attacking prowess.
Arteta’s men endured a miserable start to the 2021-22 campaign, losing 2-0 away to newly promoted Brentford. The same fate should not befall a Gunners’ side seemingly better prepared for the start of the top flight season.
While Takehiro Tomiyasu, Vieira, Emile Smith Rowe, Kieran Tierney are doubtful for the visitors, Arteta’s side should be able to navigate Palace even if all four players miss out. The loss of Smith Rowe, who scored 11 goals in 37 appearances last season, will have the most pronounced impact on Arsenal if he isn’t able to play.
Arsenal took 28 points from 19 away contests last season, good for the division’s sixth-best record. They’ll need to improve upon that return if they have any chance of claiming a coveted place inside the Top 4.
Palace were a completely different animal last year under the tutelage of Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira. The Eagles finished the 2020-21 season 12th on 48 points, two positions and four points better than the previous campaign. That modest numerical advancement, however, doesn’t do Palace’s improvement justice.
Palace played a palpably more enterprising, expansive brand of football, scoring nine goals more during Vieira’s first season in charge. Expect much of the same from Palace this season.
Palace also brought in six new signings (Chris Richards, Cheick Oumar Doucoure, Malcolm Ebiowei, Sam Johnstone, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Luke Plange) and should enjoy a similar sophomore season under Vieira.
Palace, who enjoyed the 10th-best home record last season, play especially well in front of a raucous Selhurst Park. They will try to harness the energy from the home crowd to get an early jump on Arteta’s side.
Expect Arsenal to escape with a narrow win, most likely with both teams potting at least one goal.
Prediction: Arsenal (-128 at BetMGM)
Over/Under analysis
Arsenal conceded 31 away goals last season, tied for the 11th-worst mark in the top flight. They scored 26, the seventh most.
While Arteta is intent on shoring up last season’s porous defense, Arsenal will endure some teething problems before things get markedly better.
The Gunners, thanks to the addition of Jesus, should bag two even if Smith Rowe and new joiner Vieira aren’t fit to play.
Nine of the last 11 contests between these two teams have seen at least three goals, adding further supporting evidence to lock in the Over.
To end the 2021-22 season, six of Arsenal’s seven matches resulted in the over.
Prediction: Over 2.5 (-115 at BetMGM)
Best bet
After seeing Conor Gallagher return to Chelsea, the Eagles will rely on Wilfried Zaha to score the bulk of goals. Palace was dominant at home to end the 2021-22 season, going six undefeated. They’ll be tough to beat on Friday night but will succumb to a highly talented Arsenal side.
Both teams will need some time to iron out any early-season kinks, increasing the probability of a defensive blunder. Palace is without first-choice goalkeeper Butland, which could cause a serious problem for a team that is usually defensively sound on their home patch.
Expect both teams to score in a hotly-contested 2-1 Arsenal victory.
Pick: Both teams to score — Arsenal to win (+270 at BetMGM)
