Arsenal Looks to Set the Tone

After two months, club soccer has returned to England with the Premier League kicking off on Friday, August 5th at 3:00. Crystal Palace will host Arsenal for the first match of the season. Last season, both teams lost their first match. Arsenal finished last season fifth, making them eligible to compete in the Europa League. On the other hand, Crystal Palace finished just outside the top ten, ending as the eleventh seed. Expect both of these teams to be playing with intensity as everyone will be watching. Caesars Casino & Sportsbook has the match result odds at -125 Arsenal, +270 draw, and +340 Crystal Palace. Additionally the over/under goals for the game are set at 2.5 with the under being -115 and the over being -105. New users will receive a Risk Free Bet up to $1500 on your first wager. 

During the offseason, Arsenal signed two very notable players, Gabriel Jesus, and Oleksandr Zinchenko, from Manchester City who are the reigning champions. These two have kept their form over the offseason and have helped Arsenal remain undefeated during their preseason campaign. Arsenal’s last preseason game came against Sevilla in the Emirates Cup Final where they won 6-0 and Gabriel Jesus scored a hat-trick. During the preseason Arsenal scored at least two goals in every game and held a 4.0 goals per game average. Expect them to continue this win streak and goal fest heading into the game against Crystal Palace.

Crystal Palace’s offseason is very underwhelming compared to Arsenal’s, with their most notable transfer being Chris Richards joining them from Bayern Munich. Over their nine-game preseason, their average score was an impressive 2.4 goals per game. Crystal palace will look to heavily rely on their star-studded left winger Wilfried Zaha to carry them to some points in this game. It is hard to see Crystal Palace finish this game with a win and three points but having this game be played at home may give them the boost they need.

I am convinced that Arsenal will be the better and more dominant team in the game. Although they are the visiting side, their team is better constructed and has better players compared to Crystal Palace. Neither of these teams have a reliable defense or a defensive player that will shut down the opponents best player. So I expect a lot of goals to be scored and Arsenal to be responsible for the majority of them. 

For our expert Arsenal vs. Crystal Palace prediction take the over on the 2.5 goals scored in the match.