What can Arsenal expect from Crystal Palace in the opening day of the season?

What can Arsenal expect from Crystal Palace in the opening day of the season?

By Jonny Bray
The new Premier League season is just ten days away.
Arsenal will get the season underway on Friday Night Football with a mouth-watering London derby against Crystal Palace.
The Gunners will make the trip down south to Selhurst Park to take on the high-flying Eagles, who have been tipped to challenge for Europe after a stunning first season under Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira.
But what can Mikel Arteta's side fans expect from Palace in the season's opening game?

Ridiculous going forward

The Crystal Palace attack has gotten even more potent over the summer.
They already had one of the most exciting forward lines in the league, with young stars like Michael Olise and Odsonne Édouard adding to the experience of the talismanic Wilfried Zaha.
Then, as last season progressed, Jean-Philippe Mateta found his feet in English football.
The Frenchman scored five goals and recorded one assist after grabbing his first during a 3-0 win against Norwich in December.
Gunners fans can expect Palace to start in a 4-3-3 formation with Mateta leading the line and Zaha on the left.
Olise has been absent for much of Palace's pre-season, so he probably won't play next week.
In his place, Jordan Ayew is likely to start.
Despite not possessing anywhere near the same attacking threat as Olise, Ayew is an experienced pro with an immense work ethic.
Vieira will also have big, bad Christian Benteke on the bench, as well as new signing Malcolm Ebiowei.
The former Derby and Rangers winger caught the eye in a pre-season friendly against Manchester United and could take a few Gunners fans by surprise if he plays at Selhurst.

Question-marks around the midfield

Conor Gallagher's departure has left a hole in the Palace midfield.
They will miss his goals, but they may miss his energy in the middle of the park even more.
However it's not all bad news for Vieira, who will have a fully fit Eberechi Eze at his disposal from the word go this season.
The Eagles have also added highly-rated midfielder Cheick Doucouré from Lens.
And of course, they'll also have their usual cast of reliable stars like Jeffrey Schlupp and Will Hughes available for the clash.
The midfield three is likely to be Hughes, Doucouré and Eze.
However, the Eagles have been linked with another attacking midfielder all summer, so don't be surprised if they sign a player like Morgan Gibbs-White by 5th August.

Weak at the back

Palace are pretty solid at centre-back after sensational first seasons for Joachim Andersen and Marc Guéhi.
Guéhi was rewarded with an England call-up and now looks set to be on the plane to Qatar, while Andersen proved himself as one of the most technically gifted centre-backs in the league last year. 
However, it's a different story at full-back.
On the right, Palace can choose between the experienced duo of Nathaniel Clyne and Joel Ward.
Both are solid players and legends in their own right at Selhurst Park, but they are past their prime.
Then on the left, there is the exciting prospect Tyrick Mitchell.
While he is incredibly talented Palace have no cover at left-back, so if he goes down injured or isn't at his best, then the Gunners could get some joy down his side.
Photo Credit: Getty Images 

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