Previewing the Arsenal vs Crystal Palace Premier League match, including the latest team news, injury updates for players like Gabriel, and predicted starting lineups for both sides.
Arsenal Face Defensive Worry as Gabriel is a Doubt Arsenal is set to host Crystal Palace at the Emirates Stadium this Sunday, aiming to maintain their position at the top of the Premier League table.
The Gunners, who have only suffered one league defeat this season and conceded just three times, face a Crystal Palace side that comes into the fixture following a Europa Conference League tie midweek. Palace enjoyed a solid start to the campaign but have slowed down, failing to win their previous two games.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta provided an injury update ahead of the clash, with a key concern surrounding defender Gabriel Magalhaes.
Gabriel had to leave the pitch during the recent Champions League fixture and his availability is uncertain for Sunday. Arteta stated: “Big Gabi [Gabriel] had to leave the pitch with an issue and he hasn’t been able to train yet. Let’s see how he trains over the next 24 hours.”
The Gunners will also continue without four established first-team players. Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, and Noni Madueke all remain on the sidelines. According to Arteta,
“They are all progressing really well [Madueke, Odegaard, Havertz, and Jesus], they are all starting to do certain activities, they are all super willing to be available as quick as possible but at the moment none of them are yet in contention in the next week or so.”
Due to Gabriel’s potential absence, the predicted XI suggests Cristhian Mosquera could step in at the back, with Riccardo Calafiori also potentially featuring in a backline shuffle, despite Piero Hincapie’s return to the bench midweek.
This means the \pounds 280,000-a-week duo Mikel Merino and Ben White are predicted to start from the bench. For Crystal Palace, manager Oliver Glasner confirmed minimal new concerns following their European commitment.
Glasner’s primary focus is on player recovery, saying: “It looks like everyone came through physically OK [from the Europa Conference tie against Larnaca]. For us it is now just about recovery.”
The Eagles are still without Caleb Kporha, Cheick Doucoure, and Chadi Riad. The predicted Palace lineup sees Adam Wharton and Chris Richards returning to the starting side after rotation. Arsenal holds a three-point lead over Manchester City entering the weekend fixtures