Arsenal take to the field this Saturday (21) against Crystal Palace in the 17th round of the Premier League at Selhurst Park, fully aware that any new slip-up might further jeopardize their title challenge. The Gunners are currently in third place, six points behind Liverpool, and desperately need three points if they want to stay alive at the top of the table. While Crystal Palace, on the other hand, is fighting to pull away from the relegation zone in 15th place with 16 points, four ahead of the first team in the drop zone.
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Arsenal struggles with injuries while seeking consistency
Arsenal’s season has been marked by ups and downs. Unbeaten in all nine London derbies of 2024, with seven wins and two draws, Mikel Arteta's team has a strong record in rival clashes. However, the Gunners are feeling the weight of pressure. A recent run of stumbles has distanced them from the top two, and the matchup at Selhurst Park could prove decisive in redirecting their path in the competition.
Adding to their struggles, the London team does indeed have some key injuries. Without Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu due to knee issues, Oleksandr Zinchenko is very uncertain. On the good side, both Declan Rice and Riccardo Calafiori are back to strengthen the ranks of the team, something which could help Arteta out.
Pressed about the preparation and challenges of facing the same team so quickly, Arteta shared these remarks during a press conference: "We played recently, analyzed them, so not that much. Both teams are going to adjust certain things and probably change some players as well. But that is it. The game remains the same in its difficulty."
Crystal Palace between learning and survival
The situation is precarious for Crystal Palace. Oliver Glasner's team strives to move further from the relegation zone but must overcome not only the quality of their opponent but also their own injury issues. Eberechi Eze, one of the standout players of the team, is out after taking a knock on his foot against Brighton.
Other than Eze, players like Daniel Muñoz is suspended, Joel Ward, Adam Wharton, and Matheus França remain unavailable, adding to the hurt in the Eagles' squad depth. Glasner, however, maintained a tone of learning and progression, emphasizing the value of facing a team like Arsenal:
With these games, you can learn a lot, and you can play against the best teams. Of course, when you lose and get knocked out of the cup, it hurts, but anyway, it's a chance to learn and improve; that's the best what we can show now in three days. I don't expect 30% improving in three days, but in some parts a bit, then we want a better result.