Arsene Wenger will know it’s imperative his team bounce back after their opening-day defeat to West Ham United, but getting the best of an impressive Crystal Palace team is going to be very difficult for the Gunners. Arsenal looked poor in their 2-0 loss at home to the Hammers, with Slaven Bilic’s team showing more endeavour, energy and ingenuity.
The same mistakes that knocked Arsenal’s title tilt off course last season were worryingly prevalent in this one and Petr Cech endured a nightmare debut between the sticks. Palace will likely expose Arsenal’s soft centre further, it is feared. Not only has Alan Pardew made some strong summer purchases, the most impressive of which being Yohan Cabaye, Selhurst Park is one of the most difficult venues to play football in the country. It means the Gunners are going to have to be up for a bit of a battle.
It’s going to be an extremely tough game for Arsenal.The atmosphere will test their mental strength and enrich the levels of the Palace players, who already have momentum behind them. Expect the hosts to continue their strong start with a narrow win and plunge the Gunners into an early season crisis
