Title challengers and transfer titans: everything you need to know about Arsenal

Match previews

21 Jun 2023

Crystal Palace will step out for the first home game of the new Premier League campaign as they welcome Arsenal to Selhurst Park on Monday, 21st August (20:00 BST) – get the lowdown on our latest opponents below…

Factfile

Manager: Mikel Arteta
Last season: 2nd
Nickname: The Gunners
Ground: Emirates Stadium
Founded: 1886 (137 years ago)

What’s the story?

It’s fair to say Arsenal surprised people last time around with a title challenge lasting well into May, before Manchester City’s strength in depth proved decisive. Not this time, however.

This season, expectations are for Mikel Arteta’s side to challenge once again – and after third consecutive season of heavy investment, expectation may turn into pressure further down the line.

Arsenal’s most eye-catching addition is that of Declan Rice for a fee of more than £100 million, but they have continued to invest with Jurriën Timber and Kai Havertz also arriving for hefty price tags.

All three played their part as Arsenal won a dramatic penalty shoot-out in the Community Shield at Wembley, and they carried their confident form into the season-opener at the Emirates Stadium, dispatching Nottingham Forest thanks to wonderful goals from Eddie Nketiah and Bukayo Saka.

Long-term injury to Timber was the height of ill-fortune, and with the Dutch defender set to be out for most of the season Arsenal may look for more reinforcements. Nonetheless, their squad seems to be the strongest they have had in years.

Can they go one better than last season and pip Manchester City at the post this time around? Arteta certainly thinks so, and if that belief can be transferred into his players then Arsenal may be in line for a first Premier League title since their famous ‘Invincible’ campaign 20 years – yes, two decades – ago.

The boss

The Spaniard was a bold choice when he graduated from Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City to become Arsenal’s manager in 2019, but has since transformed the side from European outsiders to title challengers.

After losing out in the dying stages having led for so long last season, he will be hoping to go one better and lead Arsenal to their first Premier League crown since 2004.

Inside the camps

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta:

“The dominance of the game [against Nottm Forest], the amount of times that we played in the territory that we want to play in, the amount of chances that we created and the few things that we conceded.

“When you dominate the game as much as we did the other day and the situations that you have, the final pass is still not neat enough or good enough to finish the actions better. That's what we have to improve.

“We have to be. When you play games of that type, it has to finish three, four, five. We didn't do it and that's why in the Premier League if you give something to the opponent, it's always going to be a nervy ending unfortunately.”

Crystal Palace’s Roy Hodgson:

“I’ll expect [Arsenal] to be extremely good on the ball. Their passing and movement is exceptional. They’ve got some unbelievably gifted players who are hard to quieten down in the game.

“They’ve got momentum, knowing that last year, but for an unfortunate period at the end of the season, they would have won the league.

“We’re expecting to play a potential Premier League winner. We’re expecting to see them come here and produce all their skills, and I think they will show us the respect to make certain they bring their best game to Selhurst Park, unfortunately.

“It means we will have to bring our best game to Selhurst Park and hope our fans can weave that magic that they do in getting extra ounces of energy and play from the team that maybe I, as a manager, can’t expect them to do.”

Read Hodgson’s thoughts in full by clicking HERE.

Transfers

Kai Havertz (Chelsea)
Jurriën Timber (Ajax)
Declan Rice (West Ham United)
David Raya (Brentford, loan)

Next five

26th August: Fulham (H)
3rd September: Manchester United (H)
16th September: Everton (A)
24th September: Tottenham Hotspur (H)
30th September: Bournemouth (A)

Record against Palace

Arsenal beat Crystal Palace twice last season, but had previously won just one of their last eight against the Eagles.

There have been some classic encounters in that time, like Palace’s three-goal thrashing of Arsenal at Selhurst Park in April 2022 or Alexandre Lacazette’s 94th-minute equaliser at the Emirates in October 2021.

Did you know?

Like Palace, Arsenal are south Londoners at heart. Formed in Woolwich by munitions workers in 1886. Originally named Dial Square Football Club, they rebranded to Royal Arsenal in 1887 and, in 1891, became the first club in London to turn professional. Newly renamed Woolwich Arsenal, they joined the Football League in 1893.

Rebuilt by Herbert Chapman after the First World War, a new Arsenal was built at Highbury Stadium with an emphasis on star players poached from elsewhere. The huge crowds and subsequent spending on players and salaries earned them the nickname ‘The Bank of England club’.

Match details

Monday, 21st August
20:00 BST
Selhurst Park
LIVE audio commentary on Palace TV+

First-team
Match previews

Related News

More News