•Palace’s have face Arsenal in 10 attempts and have won only once--a decade ago with a 2-1 victory at Highbury.
•Arsenal have won two title in three months, capturing the Community Shield last weekend, after waiting nine years for a trophy.
•Crystal Palace avoided being relegated for the first time in the Premier League, having fallen victim to the system in each of their previous four BPL campaigns.
Facing a strong Arsenal squad on Saturday, 12:30 p.m. ET, Crystal Palace will have to ignore the sudden departure of their manager, Tony Pulis, who kept them out of relegation last season. The game will be available on NBC, according to the matchday schedule.
Palace haven’t endured the craziest offseason, with their most notable signing being the £1.5 million Martin Kelly acquisition from Liverpool. Other than that, predictable moves occurred--central defender Brede Hangeland’s free transfer and striker Fraizer Campbell’s £900,000 relocation. Regardless, the team comes into this season with the hope of finishing higher than the 11th place spot from 2013-14. In the end, though, the realistic expectation would be to avoid relegation, since Pulis’ exit has struck coaching uncertainty. In the Arsenal contest, Mile Jedinak, the Glaziers relentless midfielder, will take his usual strong defensive stance against a technically skilled Arsenal squad. He’s the key to points for Palace.
In the meantime, Arsene Wenger hasn’t ruled out adding a defensively sturdy player to his roster prior to the end of the summer transfer window. Arsenal’s big purchase was FC Barcelona striker Alexis Sanchez, snapped up from the Catalan giants for a reported £35 million. Defender Backary Sagna left to Manchester City, but longtime Lille man Mathieu Debuchy, although offensively inclined, could serve as his replacement. Thomas Vermaelen went to Barcelona, but his 14 league appearances a season ago didn’t have much of an effect on Wenger’s plans. Thus, Arsenal will sit in better position than 2013, especially if Sanchez can perform fittingly alongside Olivier Giroud.
Match Absences/Inclusions:
Defender Adrian Mariappa should have gotten past his rib knock, while Jonathan Williams and defender Damian Delaney appear doubtful for Palace. Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny has essentially recovered from his Achilles injury, and About Diaby’s fitness concerns have toned down, so he could play as well. Recent World Cup-winners Mesut Ozil, Lukas Podolski and Per Mertesacker will rest for this competition.
What they’re saying
Arsenal forward Olivier Giroud on Alexis Sanchez acquisition and “stronger” team (Daily Star):
“I saw him play with Chile in the World Cup and thought he did really well, but I didn’t know then he was coming to Arsenal. When I heard they were signing him I thought: ‘Yeah, if he can sign it would be great because he’s a top player’. And he comes from Barcelona - a fantastic team where he played well. He will bring his experience and maybe something new we didn’t have before.....I think it’s (this season’s) different now, because we are stronger than we have been in years before.”
Assistant manager Keith Millen on Tony Pulis’ departure (Daily Mail):
“What Tony brought in was the experience and knowledge of what it takes to stay in this league. That was the biggest thing that the staff took on straight away. We have lost a great leader of the football club and a leader of men if you like. He likes to control what goes on in the football club, but he also controls the players. He is close to the players and he works them hard.”
Prediction:
Arsenal should get points in this game, whether it be a win or a draw. Most people would lean towards a Gunners win because Wenger and Co. are just more talented and higher-priced than Palace. That makes perfect sense, and a Palace victory at Emirates Stadium shouldn’t happen, even with Ozil, Podolski and Mertesacker out.