Arsenal are maintaining their charge towards a first Premier League title in nearly 20 years and the finishing line is almost in sight. There are some tough fixtures ahead for the Gunners, so they will need to keep picking up points against the weaker teams.
Sunday’s home fixture with Crystal Palace (9am ET; 2pm GMT) looks to be simple enough on paper, but the Eagles can often provide a shock against the bigger clubs.
Under former Arsenal star Patrick Vieira, Palace have had an uneventful season in mid-table. After failing to win in 2023, Crystal Palace sacked hapless Vieira yesterday. Could the rudderless team still pack a surprise on Sunday?
The offshore stateside bookmakers aren’t offering any hope to the sides aiming to overtake the league leaders. Arsenal are firm favorites for the three points and many sportsbooks are quoting just 2/9 on the home win. The draw is the next available option at 9/2 while victory for Crystal Palace is quoted at best industry odds of 12/1.
Arsenal have had a tendency to slip up against weaker teams, but their ability to put those sides away has been the difference this year. CPFC fans may take some comfort from the fact that, since the start of February, the Gunners have lost to Everton, and they’ve also dropped points to Brentford.
Palace themselves come into this match on the back of a 1-0 defeat at Brighton on Wednesday night. The Eagles are 12th in the table, but they are at the very bottom of the form guide with just three points from their last six games. If you are looking at the home win, but are unimpressed by the 2/9 odds on the away victory, there should be some better options among the side bets.
Arsenal’s rise to the top of the table has taken place without too much input from their main striker. Gabriel Jesus picked up a long-term injury at the World Cup, but he is back in contention for this weekend.
Jesus slots in as favorite to open the scoring at 4/1, but you should check the team sheets to make sure that he starts. Deputy centre forward Eddie Nketiah is next at 9/2, while Bukayo Saka will attract interest at his best odds of 5/1.
Over in the Crystal Palace camp, the first name in the first goalscorer betting is Wilfried Zaha who is way out at a top price of 16/1. Behind the main strikers, Gabriel Martinelli could be worth considering, although he is relatively short at a best of 5/1. The Brazilian international has scored 12 EPL goals already this season.
In other side bets, Both Teams to Score is quoted for Sunday at 11/8. There are very few games where this market reaches such high odds, so this preview will bookmark that and come back to it. The alternative is to bet ‘no’ on BTTS for a top price of just 13/20.
In the Total Goals betting, we’ll start with a bet Over the 2.5 line which is currently quoted at a short figure of 8/11. By pushing that up a notch to Over 3.5, we climb above evens to a general 7/4. Those who are expecting a dour 90 minutes at the Emirates can look at Under 2.5 Goals at 11/10 in most places.
Last up are some suggestions from the Correct Score betting. The match result market suggests a comfortable afternoon for the Gunners and, if you agree, a 3-1 home win could be the option here at 12/1. Those who feel there could be an upset at the Emirates can consider a 2-1 victory for Crystal Palace at 33/1, while the 1-1 draw is on offer at 10/1.
Our Preview’s AFC vs CPFC Predictions & Betting Picks Verdict
The title race is far from finished and Arsenal are prone to the occasional slip up. Along with those two setbacks since the start of February, the Gunners have only just eased past Bournemouth and Aston Villa away from home.
Nerves could also play a part with the finish line in sight, but are Crystal Palace the team to take advantage? The form table suggests not, so it is a case this week of looking at the side bets.
Both Teams to Score is always tempting when it rises above the evens mark. Palace’s scoring stats aren’t encouraging here with the Eagles scoring just twice in their last six matches. They have also failed to find the net in their last four. This is a trend that needs to be broken. Arsenal seem almost certain to score, so we’ll start with BTTS.
Our other pick is for Bukayo Saka to score in 90 minutes. The England international should be on a high after claiming the Young Player of the Year Trophy at the London Football Awards. He has scored 11 goals this season and looks a good option here. So, coming to the predictions against the bookies, these are our AFC vs CPFC betting picks for this preview:
- Both Teams to Score at a best of +135 with Bovada or BetOnline.
- Bukayo Saka to score at any time at +170 with EveryGame.
Matt Harris is a golf and soccer expert for USA Betting. His other area of specialist knowledge is cricket. He is well known in sports journalism and contributes articles to a plethora of big-name websites and media outlets. Titles that he writes or has written for include: Betfair, BetVictor, Unibet & Just Bookies.