Arsenal host London rivals Crystal Palace at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday afternoon in the Premier League, with both clubs desperate to bounce back to winning ways.
The Gunners lost back-to-back Premier League encounters against West Ham United and Crystal Palace at the end of December, before being dumped out of the FA Cup third round by Liverpool two weeks ago. The Eagles, meanwhile, ended their eight-game winless run in the league by beating Brentford 3-1 on New Year’s Eve but lost 1-0 to Everton in their FA Cup third-round replay on Wednesday evening.
With a mouthwatering London derby on the cards, here are the key battles that could define the outcome of this fixture.
#Bukayo Saka vs Tyrick Mitchell
Bukayo Saka was one of very few Premier League attackers to play every minute over the festive period, demonstrating that Arteta’s side are as reliant as ever on their star winger. However, the England international has been off the pace in recent weeks which has coincided with Arsenal’s recent slump. Arteta will hope the two-week hiatus should have been enough for the young winger to recharge his batteries ahead of the gruelling second half of the season.
A permanent fixture on the Gunners’ right flank, Saka is expected to come up against Crystal Palace left-back Tyrick Mitchell. Tenacious and dogged, Mitchell is good in 1v1 situations and will be determined to stop Saka from crossing the ball or making penetrative runs into the box. But if he fails to keep the English winger under the wraps, Arsenal should return to winning ways quite comfortably.
#Martin Odegaard vs Jefferson Lerma
Martin Odegaard is a key member of Arteta’s side as he provides great balance, creativity and energy. He also works hard off the ball which in turn becomes key in forcing turnovers. While the Norwegian playmaker has gone off the boil in recent weeks, just like Saka, he will be crucial in unlocking Crystal Palace’s low block on Saturday.
Expected to start on the right of a midfield three, Odegaard could regularly come face-to-face with Jefferson Lerma. The Colombian is a difficult customer to beat, with the Arsenal skipper needing to be razor-sharp to cause him problems. Lerma is a combative presence in Palace’s engine room and he will do everything possible to stop Odegaard from getting into pockets of spaces in the final third.
Thus, whoever wins this midfield battle will have a big say in deciding the outcome of the game.
#Eberechi Eze vs Declan Rice
With the Eagles losing Michael Olise for the next few weeks due to a hamstring injury, the entire creative responsibility has fallen on the shoulders of Eberechi Eze—as demonstrated by his performance against Everton in the FA Cup replay on Wednesday. The England international was the only creative spark in the Palace side in the lacklustre 1-0 defeat to Sean Dyche’s Everton.
So, Arsenal must be extra cautious of Eze on Saturday, and the onus to lock him down could fall on the shoulders of Declan Rice. There is a possibility that Rice operates from the No.6 role, with the likes of Odegaard and Havertz featuring as the No.8s. If that is the case, then Arsenal’s £105m man will have to be able to match his international teammate Eze stride for stride in both halves.