Arsenal vs Crystal Palace preview: Shifting Gears

Yesterday at 02:30 PM

Arsenal turn their sights to the Carabao Cup for a London Derby

Christmas is a week away, and every Arsenal fan is hoping for the same thing from Santa: for the Gunners to regain their form in front of goal. Open play goals have become hard to come by, made all the more frustrating by the low-block defenses thrown at them in the Premier League match after match. The blueprint has been set, and now it's up to Mikel Arteta to unlock it.

On the upside, Arsenal have found goals much easier to come by in cup competitions. This is largely due to the knockout factor, which means teams have to actually attempt to attack instead of parking the bus, which plays into the strengths of the Gunners. When teams attack, Arsenal are among the best in the world defensively. When on the ball in their defensive third, they are incredibly skilled at playing through the press, giving their attackers space to operate and pull opposing defenses apart. And in possession, they are metronomic.

With that in mind, Arsenal welcome Crystal Palace to the Emirates for a quarterfinal match in the Carabao Cup, the first match of an unorthodox home-and-away with the Eagles this week. After Wednesday's cup match, the Gunners head to Selhurst Park on the weekend for a PL match against the Eagles. It's sort of cool phenomenon that only comes around every once in a while.

Slow starts have been a worrying trend for Mikel Arteta's side. Will the Gunners step on the throttle and test the Eagles early? Or will it be more of the same methodical, calculating attacking we have grown accustomed to under Arteta?

Here are five talking points ahead of Wednesday's match:

Know the Enemy

Crystal Palace continue to occupy their usual spot in the mid-to-lower end of the Premier League table. 15th with 16 points, they are neither likely to battle for a European spot, nor are they likely to be relegated. In the Carabao Cup, they have earned their spot in the Quarterfinals with wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa.

In a stark contrast to Arsenal, Crystal Palace are peaking entering the match. In the Premier League, they are unbeaten in their last 5 matches (2W/3D), notching draws against Aston Villa, Manchester City, and Newcastle, while besting Ipswich and Brighton, who they beat 3-1 over the weekend.

The Eagles are likely to view the Carabao Cup as their best chance at silverware, which means they are surely to trot out a strong lineup on Wednesday. Defender Marc Guehi has become a stalwart for club and country, and is likely to be fought over in the summer after becoming the club's talisman in the defense. Similarly, Ebereche Eze has become a name that has been linked to several big clubs with his slick dribbling a knack for goal (Arsenal, please, I beg you). Ismaila Sarr is coming into his own, scoring twice against Brighton and earning Man of the Match honors. Former Arsenal academy grad Eddie Nketiah's big move over the summer has yet to bear fruit, but with only 11 appearances to his name, there is plenty of time for him to come good for Palace.

Last Time Out

Arsenal's received one of the more favorable matchups in the round of 16, when they drew Preston North End. Traveling to Deepdale to face PNE in late October, the match saw them dispatch the hosts 3-0 in the Invincibles Derby. Mikel Arteta was afforded a rare chance to make wholesale changes to the side, with 7 depth players getting starts, including 17 year old wonderkid Ethan Nwaneri in the midfield and 18 year old Academy keeper Tommy Setford in goal.

Unsurprisingly, Arsenal dominated the match against the Championship side. The Gunners outshot, outpossessed, and outpassed the hosts in an outing that looked every bit the match you'd expect between the two clubs. Gabriel Jesus opened the scoring with a volley, notching his first goal in months for the Gunners. The highlight of the match came in the 1st half when Ethan Nwaneri, given his first start, unleashed a curler from the edge of the box that found the top left corner of the goal.

Kai Havertz rounded out the scoring in the second half with a commanding header, and the Gunners cruised to an otherwise uneventful win to see them through to the quarterfinals.

Injuries & Suspensions

The injured list remains the same for Arsenal, with Oleksander Zinchenko and Riccardo Calafiori both out for the short term. Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu remain long-term absences.

Predicted Lineup

Attack: Trossard, Jesus, Saka

The attack has gone cold as of late. Despite the 3-0 win over Monaco in the Champions League, the Arsenal attack has looked tepid at best, outside of the workhorse performances from Bukayo Saka. The left in particular has been anonymous, and it's hard to see that changing barring a mid-season renaissance from one of the attackers. Trossard and Martinelli have been trading starts to little effect. Gabriel Jesus has looked a little more lively, but has not kicked on. A midweek start may do both Trossard and Jesus good as the attack looks to find their footing.

Midfield: Merino, Partey, Nwaneri

Declan Rice's second half sub against Everton was, as Arteta stated, due to the midfielder "feeling something" and needing to come off to avoid injury. In his stead, Mikel Merino slots at the 8. Thomas Partey came off the bench against Everton, but his influence from the 6 was too little, too late, so a start should help with control and progression in the middle. Arsenal's captain has had two off games, and looked a little worse for the wear. Considering he is still not far off from his injury and has just welcomed a child into his family, rest could be in order. Nwaneri will look to be the spark that has been missing in recent matches.

Defense: Kiwior, Gabriel, Saliba, Timber

The defense has few options to choose from at the moment with mounting injuries. Gabriel put in a resolute performance in his return on Sunday, which bodes well for the middle of the defense. Timber has been coming into his own, which has been a treat to watch after missing last season with an ACL injury. Kiwior likely returns to spell Lewis-Skelly, who started two matches for the Gunners last week.

Keeper: Raya

With Neto being cup tied, Raya remains the shot stopper in the Carabao Cup matches.

In a Rush

The name of the game, besides winning, is getting the attack off the mark early. In three of the last four matches across all competitions, the Gunners have only scored one first half goal. While some of the slowness can be attributed to tactics, it's an imperative that the Gunners, at home, find a way to impose themselves and dictate the trajectory of the match. Otherwise, it could spell another untimely exit, and one less shot at silverware.

Arsenal's league hopes have taken a nose dive, but cups are still very much in play. Five years after taking over the club, Mikel Arteta has managed only one major trophy, a sticking point for many and a cause for concern for others. The Carabao Cup may be the least prestigious of the domestic cups, but at this stage, winning silverware keeps the critics at bay and keeps building on the steady trajectory of the club. A win on Wednesday, and the Gunners are through to the semis, and one step closer to their first Carabao Cup title in 30 years.

WHO: Arsenal vs Crystal Palace
WHAT: The EFL Carabao Cup Quarterfinals
WHEN: Wednesday, December 18th, 2:30pm EST/11:30am PST/7:30pm GMT
WHERE: The Emirates Stadium, London
HOW TO WATCH: Streaming on the Paramount+ app

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