Arsenal v Palace

Emirates Stadium, Sunday 4.00pm

The Barclays Premier League trophy

Story so far

The Tony Pulis revival at Crystal Palace continued apace this week as the Eagles beat Hull 1-0 at Selhurst Park to move to 14th in the league, five points clear of the relegation zone. A well-taken goal from Jason Puncheon secured all three points for Pulis’ side but they will face a stern test of their newfound defensive solidity at the Emirates this weekend.

Mile Jedinak continues to be the heartbeat of Crystal Palace this term, the midfielder excelling in his role as their defensive enforcer. He ranks third on the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index for total tackles won with 77, this figure representing an overall success rate of 74.8% for the imposing Australian.

Jason Puncheon’s powerful strike against Hull will have come as little surprise to Palace fans who have been keeping an eye on his shooting statistics. The former Southampton man has maneuvered his way into more scoring positions than other Palace player this term, letting fly with a squad-high 33 attempts this season. Puncheon is 13/2 with 888sport.com to score at any time this weekend.

Defender Damien Delaney is on the cusp of a personal statistical landmark after some impressive performances so far this season. He’s been intervening repeatedly at the back for Palace this term and is currently sitting on 199 clearances for the season, placing him joint fourth in the league.

Marouane Chamakh will need to be aware of giving away too many fouls this weekend, his former club possessing the quality to exploit any repeated indiscretions. He gave away the joint highest number of fouls in the last round of fixtures with 5.

Arsenal dropped what could prove to be a crucial two points as they drew 2-2 with Southampton at St Mary’s on Tuesday night. A back-and-forth contest saw the Gunners fail to establish their customary dominance of possession in the first half, but goals from Olivier Giroud and Santi Cazorla rescued a point for Arsene Wenger’s side.

Olivier Giroud’s goal against Southampton was a great example of the fantastic technique the Frenchman possesses for a big man. However, Gunners fans will perhaps be hoping the Frenchman can make more of his chances when in front of goal for the rest of the season. Giroud ranks second in the league for total off-target scoring attempts, with 34 to his name so far this term. Giroud is 13/19 with 888sport.com to score at any time this weekend.

Key to Arsenal’s impressive defensive record this season has been the outstanding form of Laurent Koscielny, the Frenchman establishing himself as one of the premier defenders in the league this term. His ability to read the game has been second to none and he currently ranks joint third in the league for total interceptions with 61 according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.

Koscielny’s partnership with Per Mertesacker has been another building block of Arsenal’s success, the pair establishing themselves as Arsene Wenger’s first choice centre-half combination. The German has been in impressive form in his own right as well though, racking up the joint second highest number of interceptions in the last round of fixtures with 6.

The impact of Mesut Ozil has been a noticeable part of Arsenal’s success so far this term, the former Real Madrid maestro adding even more guile and technique to an already talented Arsenal midfield. Such has been his impact, he’s now supplanted Manchester City’s Yaya Toure at the summit of the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index for total passes completed in the opponent’s half with an incredible 856 to his name. This represents an average of one every 1.84 minutes he’s been on the pitch this season.

Team news

Deadline day signing Wayne Hennessey is likely to be on the bench for the trip to the Emirates after the goalkeeper sealed a move from Wolves.

Left-back Jonathan Parr will be checked on after suffering concussion against Wigan in the FA Cup last week. Midfielders Jerome Thomas and Kagisho Dikgacoi (both calf) are still missing.

Arsenal's Mathieu Flamini starts the first of a three-game suspension after his red card against Southampton.

Jack Wilshere (ankle) and AARON Ramsey (thigh) are both out, along with forward Yaya Sanogo (back). Abou Diaby and Theo Walcott have long-term knee injuries. However, playmaker Tomas Rosicky is available after recovering from broken nose surgery.

Arsenal (from): Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs, Gnabry, Arteta, Cazorla, Podolski, Ozil, Giroud, Fabianski, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jenkinson, Vermaelen, Bendtner, Rosicky, Monreal.

Palace (from): Speroni, Gabbidon, O'Keefe, Moxey, Mariappa, Delaney, Puncheon, Bolasie, McCarthy, Ward, Jedinak, Chamakh, WILBRAHAM, Jerome, Bannan, Williams, Gayle, Parr, Hennessey.

Quotes

Arsene Wenger

"Chamakh is doing well and I’m happy for him because we love him here. He had a great start here in the first six months because [Robin] van Persie was not available. After Van Persie came back he had an impossible competition because Van Persie is world class and it was very difficult for him to compete.

"He lost confidence, he didn’t play any more and he did not have exactly the career that we expected him to have here. But he’s a great, great guy and a great player and I’m happy that it’s going well for him."

Marouane Chamakh

"I'm very happy to be going back and playing at the Emirates again. I'm looking forward to seeing the players, the manager and the fans. I have some very good memories from playing at Arsenal.

"I learnt a lot there on my initial arrival in England. I learned a lot about discipline, learning and understanding the English game and getting used to how to move and pass on the pitch as an attacker in this league. I've continued to learn a lot more since coming to Palace.

"I think I've got a lot more confident since coming to Palace because I've had a lot more experience playing matches," the 30-year-old told Palace's official website.

"The team as a whole is feeling confident too after Hull City and we are confident we'll be ready for the game against Arsenal."

Arsenal - league stats

Position	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Points
2nd	23	16	4	3	52

Full league table

Arsenal - current form

Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	For	Against
8	5	2	1	15	10

Full form table

Last five results

Date	Type	Home Team	Score	Away Team
26/10/2013	League	Crystal Palace	0 - 2	Arsenal
14/02/2005	League	Arsenal	5 - 1	Crystal Palace
06/11/2004	League	Crystal Palace	1 - 1	Arsenal
25/02/1998	FA Cup	Crystal Palace	1 - 2	Arsenal
21/02/1998	League	Arsenal	1 - 0	Crystal Palace

All time results

Last meeting

Palace 0-2 Arsenal

Saturday October 26 2013

Palace: Speroni, Gabbidon, Moxey, Ward, Delaney, Thomas (Bolasie, 58), Guedioura (Kebe, 72), Dikgacoi, Bannan (Gayle, 77), Jedinak, Chamakh

Subs not used: O'Keefe, Mariappa, Price, Puncheon

Arsenal: Szczesny, Mertesacker, Sagna, Gibbs, Koscielny, Flamini (Gnabry, 8 (Wilshere, 69)), Cazorla (Monreal, 72), Ozil, Ramsey, Arteta (s/o 65), Giroud

Goals: Arteta (pen 47), Giroud (87)

Sent off: Arteta (65)