October 25 2018

Wilfried Zaha

Hunter Young reveals three player match-ups to watch in Crystal Palace's game against Arsenal this Sunday.

Arsenal got life off to a rough start under Unai Emery with two losses to open the season against Manchester City and Chelsea. Since then the Gunners have won every game in all competitions, putting them fourth in the table and show no signs of slowing down as they roll into Selhurst Park on Sunday. Palace come in on an opposite run of form with last Sunday’s defeat to Everton marking a fourth straight winless game.

Wilfried Zaha v Rob Holding

Rob Holding has started the last three league games for Arsenal after replacing the injured Sokratis Papastathopoulos in the Gunners' win over Everton in September. With Sokratis’ return to fitness and the impending return of long-term absentee Laurent Koscielny, playing time at centre-back will be increasingly hard to come by. Holding has played well and additional good performances will only strengthen his case to keep his place in the team.

The slump in form currently afflicting the Eagles has not spared Zaha as the Ivorian has not been at his best in recent weeks. As a team, Palace simply cannot score goals and lack confidence in the opponent’s area. Much of the side's confidence comes from Zaha’s performance as he can inspire the whole XI to improve. If Zaha can find success against a solid, but sometimes mistake-prone, defence it could lead to a favourable result.

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James Tomkins v Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has enjoyed a stellar start to his second season in London and leads the team with six goals from nine games. He has also been in great form as of late with four goals in his last two outings. The striker spear-heads an attack with a dangerous amount of skill and pace that allows him to thrive along-side Lacazette, Ozil, and Mkhitaryan.

James Tomkins put in an excellent performance last week against Everton but was somewhat undone by the sub par display of fellow centre-back Mamadou Sakho. If Tomkins finds success in limiting Aubameyang, similar to that he found against Richarlison, it could give the Eagles a chance in this fixture.

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Cheikhou Kouyate v Aaron Ramsey

To say Aaron Ramsey is Arsenal through and through may just be an understatement. The Welsh midfielder is currently in his 11th season for the Gunners and has appeared in all nine games this season. Ramsey’s future is currently unknown as his contract runs out at the end of the campaign and talks with Arsenal have broken down. Regardless of where his next contract takes him, a good season will ensure it is a contract he likes.

Cheikhou Kouyate should be in line for a second straight start as Roy Hodgson will likely attempt to take a more defensive approach against Arsenal’s attacking firepower. The Senegalese captain impressed last week and came frustratingly close to putting Place ahead with his header bouncing off the bottom of the crossbar and out. Limiting Ramsey while also getting involved in the attack would make this a good performance for Kouyate.

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