Crystal Palace vs Arsenal predictions, odds and betting tips

Crystal Palace and Arsenal meet again in the Premier League after their EFL Cup quarter-final.

Crystal Palace vs Arsenal best bets

• Arsenal to win and both teams to score – 5/2 with Casumo
• Second half higher scoring – 11/10 with Betfred
• Martin Odegaard to score or assist – 11/10 with Sky Bet

Crystal Palace vs Arsenal odds

Find the latest match odds for Crystal Palace vs Arsenal. All odds are provided by our best football betting sites. Odds are subject to change.

Crystal Palace vs Arsenal predictions

Arsenal beat Crystal Palace 3-2 in the EFL Cup on Wednesday and the two teams will go at it again this weekend.

Palace took an early lead at the Emirates Stadium after Jean-Philippe Mateta outmuscled Jakob Kiwior and finished coolly. 

Arsenal named a second-string starting XI, but it was only after the introduction of Martin Odegaard and William Saliba at the interval that the hosts clicked into gear.

Gabriel Jesus notched a hat-trick to give Arsenal a 3-1 lead, before Eddie Nketiah pulled one back late on against his former club. All in all, it was a deserved win for Mikel Arteta’s men.

Now comes the more important task of getting their Premier League title bid back on track. Arsenal have stuttered of late and they cannot afford many more slip-ups if they are to remain in the race.

It does not feel like it, but the Gunners have actually gained ground on Liverpool over the last fortnight. The Reds have drawn their last two outings and saw the Merseyside derby postponed in between those meetings with Newcastle United and Fulham.

As for Arsenal, they beat Manchester United 2-0 at the beginning of the month, before back-to-back draws with Fulham and Everton. Yet they remain six points adrift of top spot having played a game more than leaders Liverpool. There is little margin for error between now and the end of the campaign.

Arsenal’s last four goals in the league have all come from set-pieces, heightening concerns that the team has become overly reliant on dead-ball situations. The Gunners were much more fluid in open play on Wednesday, but we will have to see if that continues this weekend.

Palace might be just four points clear of the relegation zone, but they have lost only one of their last eight league games. 

Oliver Glasner will have been disappointed with how little his team threatened in the time between their two goals in the EFL Cup, but anyone who has watched Palace over the last few weeks knows they have got their act together after a poor start.

All of which means Arsenal will not have everything their own way at Selhurst Park in the late kick-off on Saturday.

1

Crystal Palace vs Arsenal betting tips

Arsenal will be looking to get their Premier League title challenge back on track against Crystal Palace.

Arsenal to win and both teams to score

Crystal Palace have settled on a favoured front three of Mateta, Ismaila Sarr and Ebere Eze. The latter has been below his best this term, but Mateta and Sarr have struck up a promising partnership.

Palace have scored two or more goals in their last three matches in all competitions. That bodes well for this rematch against Arsenal.

The Gunners had the best defensive record in the division in 2023/24 and they are second only to Liverpool in that regard this time around.

Yet they are struggling to shut opponents out on the road, with no clean sheets in their last eight away games across the Premier League and Champions League.

Even so, Arsenal have what it takes to beat Crystal Palace in a game featuring goals at both ends for the second time this week.

⚽ Back Arsenal to win and both teams to score at 5/2 with Casumo ⚽

Second half higher scoring

There were more goals in the second half of Wednesday’s clash at the Emirates Stadium and we should expect more of the same here.

Arsenal’s matches have contained 24 goals after half-time compared to 20 before it. The difference in games involving Crystal Palace is even starker, with 24 strikes in the second period versus 14 between minutes one and 45.

Palace were quick out of the blocks last time out, albeit thanks to a Kiwior mistake that is unlikely to be repeated by Gabriel Magalhaes or Saliba.

As mentioned above, Arsenal have found it tough to fashion opportunities from open play in recent weeks.

It will be particularly tough for them to do so early on at Selhurst Park. In our view, we will have to wait until the second half for most of the game’s goals. 

⚽ Go for more goals after the break at 11/10 with Betfred ⚽

Martin Odegaard to score or assist

Jesus was the hat-trick hero on Wednesday and he consequently hogged the headlines after the game.

Arteta will no doubt be tempted to start the Brazilian again now that his confidence has increased.

But more than anything else, it was Odegaard’s introduction at half-time that really swung the match in Arsenal’s favour.

The Norway international was at his scheming best during his 45 minutes on the pitch. He set up two of Jesus’ goals and was a constant thorn in Crystal Palace’s side.

Odegaard can demonstrate his quality against the same opponents on Saturday.

⚽ Tip Martin Odegaard to score or assist at 11/10 with Sky Bet ⚽

📺 How to watch Crystal Palace vs Arsenal

• Location: Selhurst Park, London, England.
• Date and time: Saturday 21st December, 5.30pm.
• How to watch: Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League.

Read more about the 2024/25 football season

Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to talkSPORT. 18+. T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org

Remember to gamble responsibly

A responsible gambler is someone who:

• Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
• Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
• Never chase their losses
• Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
• Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
• GambleAware – www.gambleaware.org

Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.

For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.