There´s a London derby in Store for Arsenal on today as the Gunners look to get back to winning ways when they welcome Crystal Palace to the Emirates Stadium.
Arsene Wenger saw his men slip to second in the Premier League midweek as the team only secured a draw on the road to Southampton. However, Arsenal had won their previous five league games and remains unbeaten in seven Premier League games. While Wenger will be pleased that his team has that solid record, he will want to get the three points over a struggling Crystal Palace and will see anything less as a disaster.
With Manchester City now top and looking formidable, the Arsenal team is playing catch up for the first time in months and Wenger will know any further hiccups could prove disastrous. To keep the squad fresh the French tactician added veteran Spartak Moscow midfielder Kim Kallstrom to bolster his options in the middle of the park. Unfortunately, Kallstrom picked up a back injury during his first day with the club and will be missing for at least a few weeks, ruling him out of a club debut in this match.
While fans will be frustrated that the club let another window go by without spending, Wenger will feel his current crop of players has enough to down Palace at home. Tony Pulis has settled the club since becoming manager but the team is still short of goals (just 15 this season in the Premier League) and there are tough times ahead with clashes against top of the table teams on the horizon.
With Palace finding it tough and Arsenal getting into the winning habit, this should be an easy three points for the Gunners, and anything but a comfortable victory would be a disappointment.