Premier League Matchday 34, Wednesday, 23.04.2025 at 21:00
The English championship has long been decided, but Arsenal can still make the league leaders from Liverpool wait a little longer.
To do so, Mikel Arteta’s side need a home win against Crystal Palace. That should be possible in their current form and is part of my Arsenal Crystal Palace tip.
As you are probably aware, the Gunners’ strengths undoubtedly lie in defense. However, their attacking play has shown improvement in recent weeks.
In addition, Arteta’s players know from experience how to overcome the Eagles’ defense.
Below, I will explain why I think a bet on “Arsenal to win with a handicap of -1” at odds of 2.10 at Bet365 is the right Arsenal Crystal Palace prediction.
The bookmakers’ prediction?
The six previous meetings between these two teams have seen only one winner – Arsenal. Two of these matches have been played this season.
First, Arsenal celebrated a 3-2 victory in the League Cup, only to win the Premier League clash 5-1 just three days later.
With odds of 1.44, German bookmakers have no doubts about a home win. In addition, odds of 8.00 clearly underline that Crystal Palace are not necessarily in the best shape for their trip to the Emirates Stadium.
Analysis: Arsenal vs. Crystal Palace
Kai Haverts and Gabriel Jesus have unfortunately had to end their season with the Gunners early. Bukayo Saka has also been out for long periods this season.
The calls for a new, genuine center forward have not grown any quieter, but these absences have given many players the chance to prove themselves in prominent roles.
One of them is Gabriel Martinelli. The highly talented winger scored his 50th competitive goal for the North London club against Ipswich.
There have been growing pains here and there, but in some cases these have been offset by superb attacking play. No PL team had more expected goals than the Gunners after 32 matchdays.
In addition, Mikel Arteta has installed a virtually impenetrable defense that is almost always able to defend a lead when the team is ahead.
Arsenal are unbeaten in 42 Premier League home games when the Champions League semi-finalists have scored the first goal of a match. I believe Arteta’s team can do it again in their home game against Crystal Palace.
Odds analysis
As an alternative to my Arsenal Crystal Palace tip, I have found an equally attractive odds of 2.10 that caught my eye.
The home side have kept twelve clean sheets in this Premier League season (3rd) and conceded the fewest goals of any English top-flight team (27).
The visitors’ attacking quality is rather average compared to the rest of the league, which is why I have noted a free bet on “Arsenal to win without conceding” as a value bet.
Arsenal vs. Crystal Palace: The timing could hardly be better
Arsenal will not win the Premier League title, but they still have a chance of silverware in the Champions League.
The Gunners have probably never been in better form this season than they are in the current final stretch. Mikel Arteta not only came up with the right game plan for Real Madrid (3-0, 2-1), but his team has also been almost perfectly tuned and is unbeaten in eleven competitive games.
The hosts are also unbeaten in their last two Premier League home games against the Eagles.
The North London team won their last two PL home games against Crystal Palace (5-0, 4-1) in impressive fashion, scoring nine goals in the process.
Such a resounding victory is also conceivable for the clash on matchday 34. Oliver Glasner’s side have been beaten quite badly in their two previous Premier League away games, conceding five goals each against Newcastle (0-5) and Manchester City (2-5).
From this perspective, you should put your Bet365 betting bonus on the odds of 2.75 for “Arsenal to score over 2.5 goals.”
Are your thoughts wandering prematurely?
Crystal Palace can already put a tick behind the Premier League season. The Eagles are in twelfth place in the table and have long since put any worries about relegation behind them.
It would therefore be only human if Oliver Glasner’s team were perhaps not 100 percent focused in the London derby against Arsenal.
The reason for their lack of focus will become clear this coming weekend. On Saturday, the Eagles will be battling for a place in the FA Cup final.
Glasner’s players have recently played an unusually high number of competitive matches. The latest 0-0 draw against Bournemouth was their third game in seven days. In addition, Glasner’s team had to play the entire second half with one man down to secure the point.
Arsenal have also had a very heavy schedule, of course. However, Mikel Arteta’s squad is much better prepared for this kind of strain.
In this respect, I see the Gunners as clear favorites. Arsenal are the second-best home team in the English top flight this season (35 points) and have won ten of their 16 games at the Emirates Stadium.
In addition, Oliver Glasner has not seen a goal from his attacking department in two PL games, which has only managed an average goal tally (41 goals) anyway.
Arsenal must nevertheless be careful with the ball. The visitors are a team that relies on their high tempo going forward and cover 1.86 m/s when in possession.
The Eagles have already scored six goals this season from direct attacks. However, I expect the Gunners to be able to control these efforts.
My Arsenal – Crystal Palace tip:
Arsenal have had little trouble with league games during the week recently, winning four of their five Wednesday fixtures since the start of the season (1D).
The home side’s defense is usually disciplined and rarely makes mistakes. Equally relevant are the different form curves, with Arsenal having a huge advantage here.
My Arsenal Crystal Palace tip: Arsenal to win by at least two goals!
