In a game that seems impossible to get pumped up for, it’s worth remembering that Arsenal still have something to fight for in the final weeks of the Premier League.
The Gunners are now facing pressure from several teams around them in the league, with Manchester City’s convincing victory on Saturday afternoon not helping the situation.
Arsene Wenger needs to ensure his side are playing Champions League football next season, and finishing the campaign strongly is the only way in which he can do that.
In what seems like a fresh target in a new weekend, Crystal Palace could well be the perfect opponents to face at the Emirates Stadium this weekend.
Despite confirming their survival for another year, Alan Pardew’s men have suffered a major dip in form since Christmas and have just won victory in their last ten PL fixtures.
They’ve got very little to play for in England’s top division now, and there’s no doubt many of these players will have one eye on the mid-week FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.
Team News
Arsenal
As well as Champions League qualification to fight for, many of these players are facing a personal battle to make it into their national squad for this summer’s Euro’s.
Although it may be a little too late in the season to make an impact, the good news is that Santi Cazorla has now returned to full training with the Gunners.
Both Jack Wilshere and Thomas Rosicky have racked up two impressive performances for the Under-21’s side but will be too short for the Palace tie.
It seems as if the only player still recovering on fitness work is Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and he faces a real uphill battle to regain a place in the England squad let alone the Gunners.
Arsene Wenger is also expected to make a decision on whether to stick with back-up goalkeeper David Ospina or reinstate summer signing Petr Cech into the starting line-up.
Arsenal Injuries: Oxlade-Chamberlain (knee) Santi Cazorla (fitness)Â
Crystal Palace
As mentioned in the introduction this will be a good test for Palace ahead of their FA Cup clash with Watford, so Pardew could be tempted to rest a few key names.
The versatility of Dwight Gayle will be missed after the midfielder was forced off in the last tie against Everton, which means Conor Wickham could come back into contention.
Meanwhile the fitness of both Wilfried Zaha and James McArthur will be looked at just before the game to avoid any risks, but it looks as if the former Manchester United striker could be the more likely to feature.
Also missing from the Palace squad and ultimately the Premier League altogether is former Arsenal striker Marouane Chamakh after the flop was ruled out for the season.
Palace Injuries: K. Appiah (knee), M. Chamakh (hip), D. Gayle (glute), J. McArthur (ankle)
One To Watch
Arsenal – Mesut Ozil
In a season that promised so much the German has seemed to have dried up when it comes to breaking the all-time assist record in the Barclays Premier League.
Ozil has just three assists in 2016, a record that can be bettered by James Milner which quite frankly sums up the limp effort Arsenal have had to finish their season.
Things looked so good in the opening half an hour against West Ham and now the playmaker has to show he has the right character to finish the campaign on a high for these frustrated fans.
Crystal Palace – Emmanuel Adebayor
With Dwight Gayle injured Pardew doesn’t have much of an option than to stick the former Gunner up front on his own, and he’ll be rubbing his hands to finally get his Palace career running.
There’s no doubt that the Palace players will have watched the result at West Ham last weekend and will want their new striker to replicate the efforts of Andy Carroll who caused havoc.
The reception for the former Togo international will be hostile, and his presence will add a good atmosphere in the Emirates, the real challenge is to see whether he can silence the home crowd again.
Likely Line-Ups
Arsenal (4-2-3-1):
Cech, Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Coquelin, Elneny, Iwobi, Ozil, Alexis, Welbeck
Crystal Palace (4-2-3-1):
Hennessey, Ward, Dann, Delaney, Souare, Cabaye, Ledley, Sako, Puncheon, Bolasie, Adebayor
Match Details
When: Sunday 17th April, 16:00 GMT
Where: Emirates Stadium (North London)
Watch: Sky Sports 1 (coverage starts following the Leicester v West Ham game)
Last Time Out: Crystal Palace 1 – 2 Arsenal