MONDAY PREMIER LEAGUE: The Striker previews Monday’s 8pm KO between ARSENAL v CRYSTAL PALACE with a recommended BETDAQ bet and extended match stats.
ARSENAL V CRYSTAL PALACE
8pm Monday Night Football comes from the Emirates this week as Arsenal host Crystal Palace. The International Break came at the wrong time for Arsenal as they had managed to put together a run of five games unbeaten in all competitions. Their 3-1 win here over Spurs was obviously a massive morale boost and it would have been very important for the fans, however their performance away to Brighton goes to highlight they still have major issues. Those issues might not be exposed against a side like Crystal Palace, however I’m sure there will be big very big opinions on the Arsenal price on BETDAQ Betting Exchange.
That Arsenal price is currently 1.69 at the time of writing, and I am on the backer side if I am honest at those odds. I know backing Arsenal these days comes with a wealth warning, but Crystal Palace are a pretty limited side and Arsenal tend to do very well at home against average sides. Arsenal’s troubles are well documented, and their performance away to Brighton is probably a classic example of how they don’t cope very well away from home under pressure. At home, it’s a different story though.
When you look at the fixtures Palace have played this season, you’d probably suggest things have gone as expected. They produced a shock 3-0 win over Spurs, but then against Spurs were playing some terrible football prior to that game – they were just getting lucky with results. Palace broke that trend in style! I can see why plenty of football punters would want to lay Arsenal tonight – they have a number of issues and you just can’t trust Arsenal these days – however I also believe that has pushed the market ten ticks too big.
I’d have Arsenal trading around 1.6 for this game, not the current 1.69. I’m always happy to keep stakes reasonably low when backing Arsenal as it’s hard to commit, but they have shown enough in recent weeks to support them here. The performance against Spurs was an improvement, they grinded out a win against Burnley and totally outclassed Norwich here – we could see a similar performance against Palace. Of course with Arsenal, the fans booing them off the pitch is never far away – hopefully it’s a positive start. Arsenal get the job done for me, but stakes should be kept limited.
The Striker Says:
Two points win Arsenal to beat Crystal Palace at 1.69 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE
You can view all markets here -> https://bit.ly/BDQArscry
MATCH STATS
● Arsenal have won just one of their last six Premier League meetings with Crystal Palace (D4 L1), though it was in their last such meeting in May (3-1 at Selhurst Park).
● Crystal Palace are unbeaten in their last three Premier League away games against Arsenal (W1 D2). The Eagles had only avoided defeat in three of their previous 16 visits to Highbury/Emirates Stadium in league competition (W1 D2 L13).
● Arsenal have won their last seven Premier League home games played on a Monday, scoring 15 goals and conceding just twice in return.
● After an 11-game winless run in Premier League London derbies, Crystal Palace won their last such match 3-0 against Tottenham. The Eagles haven’t won consecutive league derby matches since April 2017, which included a 3-0 win against Arsenal.
● Arsenal have won four of their last five Premier League home games (L1), as many as they had in their previous 15 at the Emirates combined.
● Crystal Palace have conceded more goals from outside the box than any other side in the Premier League this season (5). However, just two of Arsenal’s last 35 league goals have been from distance, with Willian (vs West Brom in May) and Martin Ødegaard (vs Burnley this season) netting direct free-kicks.
● Coming into this weekend’s games, no side has conceded more first-half goals in the Premier League than Arsenal (6). However, no other team have scored fewer goals before half-time than Crystal Palace this term (1).
● Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira made 279 Premier League appearances for Arsenal, with only five players making more for the club in the competition. Vieira will be just the fourth person to have played for the Gunners in the Premier League and then managed against them in the competition, after David O’Leary (W3 D2 L9), Tony Adams (L1) and Remi Garde (L1).
● Of goalkeepers to play more than once in the Premier League this season, Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsdale has the best minutes per goal conceded ratio, with the Gunners conceding just one goal every 360 minutes on average with the Englishman in goal. However, teammate Bernd Leno has the joint-worst such ratio in the competition this term (one every 30 minutes).
● Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha has been pressured by opponents more often than any other player in the Premier League this season (341), while the Ivorian has also been fouled more than anyone else in the competition this term (24).
