STAR PREVIEW: Arsenal v Crystal Palace

[dropcap]H[/dropcap]appy New Year !! Two Premier League games to start 2017 and the late televised game sees Arsenal take on Crystal Palace at the Emirates.

Two sides at opposite ends of the table and it remains to be seen whether the Allardyce regime at Crystal Palace will prove successful long term.

Certainly though, this season at least, success will be defined simply as survival with Crystal Palace currently hovering just two points over the relegation zone but only Hull below them did anything to improve their prospects with defeats for Sunderland and Swansea on Saturday.

Arsenal get the chance to move into third with a win but Wenger is cautious that Allardyce may improve today’s rivals. He said: “The level of confidence or the level of urgency always goes a bit up when a new manager comes in, of course. That makes the game more difficult.

“When you look at their squad, it’s a talented squad, because they have potential going forward, they are quick on the break and they are very versatile.”

Arsenal v Crystal Palace
Premier League
16:00 Sky Sports 1 / Sky Sports 1 HD / Sky Sports Ultra HD

HEAD TO HEAD RECORD
(Maximum 10 matches)
Apr 2016 PREMIER Arsenal 1-1 C Palace
Aug 2015 PREMIER C Palace 1-2 Arsenal
Feb 2015 PREMIER C Palace 1-2 Arsenal
Aug 2014 PREMIER Arsenal 2-1 C Palace
Feb 2014 PREMIER Arsenal 2-0 C Palace
Oct 2013 PREMIER C Palace 0-2 Arsenal
Feb 2005 PREMIERSHIP Arsenal 5-1 C Palace
Nov 2004 PREMIERSHIP C Palace 1-1 Arsenal
Feb 1998 FA CUP C Palace 1-2 Arsenal
Feb 1998 PREMIERSHIP Arsenal 1-0 C Palace

For Arsenal to entertain any hopes of a title this season (which might well be out of their control already) they must win this game and I can’t see that Allardyce has had much chance to change things significantly for Palace over the festive period so am sticking with the Gunners to be ahead at both half-time and full-time as my first bet of the year. It’s around 5/6 with Star Sports so a cautious but hopefully prudent start to 2017.

As ever I’ll be keeping an updated P&L of all bets throughout the year.

RECOMMENDED BETS (scale of 1-100 points)

BACK ARSENAL / ARSENAL 12 points at 5/6 with Star Sports

PROFIT/LOSS SINCE JAN 1 2017: +0.00 points

---

BET NOW WITH STAR SPORTS 08000 521 321